Through the Fire
by ColumnX
Summary: The Team Rocket Trio finds themselves taking up temporary residency at one of Team Rocket's headquarters. There, Musashi and Kojiro find their bond being tested. With the new option to request a new partner and with many other agents around, will Kojiro and Musashi manage to stay together? #Rocketshipping #Kojimusa
1. Chapter 1

The afternoon started off typical for fellow Team Rocket partners Musashi and Kojiro, along with their Pokemon partner Nyasu. After suffering another defeat in capturing Pikachu and being blasted away, they were continuing their walk back to civilization.

"I'm tired!" whined Kojiro, slowing his pace down.

"Stop that whining, I'm sure we'll get to the town soon!" Musashi snapped back towards him.

"Yeah," Nyasu added. "We's all tired too. So shut your yap!"

Kojiro sighed and quickened his pace so he could catch up to his teammates. A few more minutes of walking, Kojiro stopped walking and stood still, looking straight ahead. "Huh?"

Musashi, focusing more on where she was walking, slammed into Kojiro. Nyasu, who was resting atop Musashi's head, fell forward and she caught him just in time before he hit the ground. She looked up to glare at Kojiro's back. "Hey!" she shrieked. "Why did you just stop like that?!"

"Look," Kojiro muttered, still not moving or turning around to face his teammates. Musashi and Nyasu looked over Kojiro's shoulder in curiosity. There was a clearing amongst the trees in front of them and down the hill in the distance, they could see a very large building, maybe 10 stories high with glass windows surrounding it. "Isn't that...?" Kojiro began.

"Team Rocket Headquarters!" squealed both Kojiro and Nyasu. Nyasu jumped down from Musashi's arms. "At least one of dem," he added. "How many are dere again?"

"Who cares?!" Kojiro exclaimed. "Let's go!" He ran off down the hill, leaving Musashi and Nyasu calling and running after him.

They all stopped at the entrance to the building. There were huge tinted double glass doors. Upon approaching, the doors didn't automatically open. Instead, on the top right corner of the doorway, a black security camera panned and aimed at the trio. A speaker box to the right of the double doors crackled to life. "State your names and business with us today," a man's voice clearly came from the speaker.

"Uh, I'm Musashi," began Musashi nervously.

"I'm Kojiro," chimed Kojiro.

"And Nyasu's da name!" Nyasu added rather confidently. "We are one of Team Rocket's teams reporting for duty."

There was a moment of silence and the trio squirmed nervously, casting anxious glances at each other. They almost jumped out of their skins when the speaker crackled again with the same voice. "Proceed inside." and the double glass doors slid open. They hurried inside and gawked in awe at the expansive space inside. Dark brown marble floor and black marble walls adorned the entire main lobby. "Nice digs!" Nyasu exclaimed while Musashi and Kojiro both nodded vigorously in agreement.

The sound of heels clacking on the marble floor approaching them snapped them out of their trance. Dressed in a black pencil dress with a red R on the front it, came a well groomed woman with her pink straight hair pulled back into an elegant bun.

"Welcome to headquarters!" the woman chirped. Once she was close enough, she shook Musashi's hand first. "My name is Suki."

"Musashi," Musashi replied, a bit put off by her enthusiasm.

"Oh, a Nyarth!" she exclaimed, looking down at the cat Pokemon. He took a slight bow and said, "At your soivous!" Suki's golden eyes gleamed in pleasure and she giggled.

"So it's true, you can speak!"

Suki then walked over to Kojiro and shook his hand eagerly with both of hers. "And you must be Kojiro!"

Kojiro smiled nervously and agreed. "That's me"

"I have got to say Kojiro, you have the prettiest eyes I have ever seen! The color of your hair really brings them out!"

Kojiro chuckled and blushed. "Thanks!"

Musashi glared at the two and scoffed.

"Let me show you to your rooms!" Suki said eagerly.

"Wait, what?" Nyasu asked.

"We have rooms?!" Musashi asked incredulously.

"Why, yes," Suki responded, looking perplexed. "Don't you know all Team Rocket members in this region have a room here at headquarters? They are more than welcome to use them when they are in the vicinity."

"That's funny" Kojiro began. "I thought the boss wouldn't even consider ourselves important enough to even give us rooms-"

"Ah!" Musashi ejected, thumping Kojiro across the back of the head with a fan. "He means that we are a bit incognito ourselves. We do primarily hush-hush missions so we're surprised we're known at all!"

Suki continued walking, uninterested. Musashi took a moment to cast an angry glare at Kojiro, who caught it and looked at the floor gloomily. They stopped at an elevator with steel doors. The top of the doorway had "R8" engraved on a plaque.

"This is the elevator you need to take to get to the member dormitories. All other facilities are here on this floor." Suki explained.

"What other facilities?" asked Kojiro.

"Oh our library, media room, recreation room, cafeteria-"

"Cafeteria?!" Shouted Nyasu, Kojiro and Musashi.

"Y-Yes," confirmed the startled Suki. "All Team Rocket members who stay with us are provided meals at our cafeteria."

The trio looked at each other, grinning happily and giggling. The elevator opened and they all stepped inside. The elevator moved quickly, stopped at the 8th floor and chimed. The doors opened and they stepped out, walking to the right until the hallway ended.

"To the left," Suki lifted her left arm, "is the male dormitories. Kojiro, you and Nyasu will find your rooms down there. Musashi," Suki lifted her right arm. "You will find yours down this hall, along with the other female dormitories."

"How will I know which room is mine?" asked Kojiro.

"Oh, don't worry," Suki smiled. "There's no way you can miss your rooms." She bowed courteously to the trio. "I hope you'll find everything you need here at headquarters. Lunch is at 12!" She began to walk off towards the elevator.

Kojiro and Nyasu watched her walk off and then looked at Musashi, who had just turned her attention from Suki as well. They stared at each other and then smiled a huge smile. "See you at lunch!" they squealed and headed down their halls.

"How are we going to know which rooms are ours?" Kojiro asked nervously, looking down at Nyasu.

"Beats me!" he said, "But that Suki lady said we can't miss it."

Suddenly, they both stopped dead in their tracks. In front of them on the right hand wall was a blue gray door with Kojiro's face painted on it in a cute, cartoon way. It was just like their tower they had taken over before the evil Togepi ruined it all. Kojiro merely gawked at it before stepping forward. Immediately, the door opened and it revealed to be just like Kojiro's room at the old tower. His bottle cap collection was in display cases everywhere.

"Wow!" Kojiro exclaimed. "Just like it was at our tower!" He turned towards Nyasu. "Coming in?" Nyasu shook his head. He was too busy looking at the door immediately to the left of Kojiro's room. It was slightly smaller but it had Nyasu's face painted on it.

"I gets a room of my own too?!" he gasped and stepped into his room.

Meanwhile, Musashi was admiring her dormitory finding that it, too, was just like the room she had back at the evil Togepi tower.


	2. Chapter 2

After fully admiring her pink dominated room, she took a shower and found her closet was stocked with her Team Rocket outfits. She smiled, changed and headed downstairs for lunch. As she took the elevator down, she jerked in remembrance.

"Oops! I forgot to wait for Kojiro and Nyasu! Oh well, I'll probably see them downstairs."

Once she reached the ground floor, she exited and wandered down a hallway to the right hoping to find a sign pointing to the cafeteria. She found a map posted on one of the walls and began to study it. She had just barely found where she currently was on the map when she was interrupted.

"First time?" a voice behind her asked and Musashi jumped a mile high. She turned to glare at a brown haired Team Rocket male member with brown eyes.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" she growled.

The man merely smiled at her and said, "I'll take that as a 'yes'. If you want, you can follow me to the cafeteria."

He began walking a bit forward, encouraging Musashi to follow. "My name is Hatori."

"Musashi," she responded, following after him while giving him an unsure eye. They made small talk with each other while walking down the hall. Suddenly, a black haired, blue eyed male Team Rocket member joined them from the rear.

"Yo Hatori!" he greeted. He slapped Hatori on the back and looked at Musashi curiously. "Who's your pretty friend?"

Musashi blushed, offering a shy smile.

"This is Musashi," Hatori answered, stretching his arm towards Musashi, which she evaded slightly. "She's new here."

"Awesome," the black-haired man answered. "My name is Makaze. Looks like we're a pair of M names!" He clapped her on the shoulder and they stopped at the entrance to the cafeteria. Musashi took a moment to admire the size of the cafeteria with tables everywhere and high definition televisions mounted on the walls.

"Do you want to eat with us?" Hatori asked. Musashi was just about to respond when she spotted a familiar female Team Rocket member.

"Yamato?" Musashi called.

The familiar Team Rocket member with golden hair turned to look at who had called her name. "Musashi?" she replied, noticing her. "You're here too?" she added with a tone of disgust. Yamato looked at Musashi's two male escorts. "Aren't you Miss Popular?" she added. She began to walk off when Musashi had the urge to stick to familiar faces. Plus, she had so many questions to ask her. Musashi turned to the two men she met.

"Thanks for everything, but I'll be OK with her," she said to them, rather relieved. Hatori and Makaze shrugged their shoulders. "Suit yorself. See you around Musashi!"

Musashi ran off to join an annoyed looking Yamato.

"Where's your lavender-haired partner anyway? Wouldn't you rather bother him?" she asked.

"Musashi!"

Musashi turned to see an angry, but hurt looking Kojiro stomping towards her with Nyasu speed walking to catch up.

"Kojiro," Musashi said, full of relief.

"Why didn't you wait for us?!" he pouted. "I thought we were supposed to be a team!"

"I-I'm sorry," Musashi stammered. "I got caught up in this place and-"

"Enough already, you two!" Nyasu growled. "I'm starving!"

Musashi and Kojiro looked at Nyasu and Musashi looked back at Kojiro apologetically.

"Why don't you two go first and I'll get us a table." she said.

Kojiro finally smiled at her. He headed for one of the food lines as Nyasu headed for the Pokemon section. Kojiro was just about to slide his tray to the first food selection when he stopped just behind the two men who had earlier walked with Musashi.

"So what do you think of new girl, Musashi?" asked Hatori.

"She's a total babe," replied Makaze.

"That's for sure, who do you think she's partnered with?"

"Beats me, let's hope she doesn't have one."

"Yeah, I would love to be partnered with her. He-he-he"

Kojiro blushed furiously. He slammed down his tray, demonstrating his anger. The other two turned to look at him. He was bristling with fury. "If you two are not going to pick from the choices in front of you, I suggest you keep moving!" he growled. Hatori and Makaze looked at each other in amusement. Then, they turned back to Kojiro.

"I don't recall you being here before," Hatori said.

"Yeah," retorted Makaze, circling around Kojiro. "Looks like you don't know who you're talking to."

"Let's show him this once," Hatori said, grabbing Kojiro by his shirt, pulling him to him. Kojiro grabbed at Hatori's grip, trying to free himself. "Yes, I am new," Kojiro said, glaring at Hatori. "And I also happen to be Musa-"

"Kojiro! Is that you?"

All three turned to see a green haired man running towards them.

"Kosanji?" asked James, recognizing him as Yamato's partner.

"Ugh, the name is Kosaburo!" corrected Kosaburo. He sighed and continued. "Back off Hatori. He's with me."

"Whatever," Hatori said, releasing Kojiro. "Make sure you teach your new recruits about respect." Hatori began to walk off and Makaze followed after, casting a foul look at Kojiro before leaving.

"When did you get here?" Kosaburo asked.

"Um, just this morning," replied Kojiro, straightening out his shirt and getting back to his tray. "I didn't know you were here too. Is Yamato here as well?"

"Yeah, she's around here somewheres," said Kosaburo. "I'm guessing Musashi is here too."

"Well, we are partners" replied Kojiro.

He looked over to where Musashi was sitting. She was with Yamato, calmly talking. Kojiro smiled to himself and finished putting food on his plate.

"So, you and Kojiro just got here this morning, huh?" asked Yamato, feigning boredom.

"Yea," replied Musashi. Catching on to her attitude, she spat, "You know, now that I found Kojiro and Nyasu, you don't have to feel sorry for me and sit here. You're more than welcome to leave."

"Well sorry for trying to keep you company during your lonely hour." Yamato said, putting up her arms in surrender. "But judging by those two guys you were with earlier, I doubt you needed me anyway."

Before Musashi could retort, some girls passed by giggling. Musashi's and Yamato's attention was turned towards them.

"Hey, did you catch that new guy? What a cutie!"

"Yeah, his eyes are like sparkling emeralds!"

"I heard he always carries roses with him! How romantic!"

"I hope he gives me one of his roses!"

"I wonder if he has a partner already? I hope not!"

"Oh gosh, here he comes!"

Musashi turned her glare to see Kojiro walking towards her. She was surprised to see Kosaburo as well. Yamato turned her attention from Musashi's reaction to Kosaburo as well.

"There you are! Are you ready to go or what?!" Yamato barked.

"Yeah, yeah, hold your horses lady," Kosaburo said. "Musashi," he nodded curtly at her. Musashi nodded back.

"Well, it was nice chatting with you Musashi-chan!" Yamato sang towards Musashi. "Good seeing you Kojiro!" she said towards Kojiro.

They left them alone. Kojiro sat down across from Musashi and looked over at her. "Aren't you going to eat?" Musashi shook her head.

"Maybe later," Musashi said. "I'm not that hungry. Where's Nyasu?"

"I'm sure he's on his way," Kojiro replied. "You should really eat. It's been a while."

"I'm fine, Kojiro," warned Musashi. She turned a little in her seat to look around. "This place is amazing!" she cried. She turned to find Kojiro breaking his bread in half. He took the bigger half and handed to her. Musashi looked at the bread with annoyance plastered on her face. She finally took it with a smile, remembering the same motion she did for Kojiro years ago when they first joined Team Rocket. "Thanks." Kojiro blushed slightly and smiled at her.

Nyasu finally joined his two friends. "Is dis place the best or what?!"

"I guess so," said Kojiro. "I can't help but feel we don't deserve all this luxury. I feel like there's a catch to everything."

"Of coyse deres a catch numbskull!" Nyasu said. "I ran into some udder Team Rocket members who told me dat those who stay here are required to do local business for the boss. He's got a lotta tings going on around the area. So expect to be called on duty soon."

"Well, I don't mind getting back on the boss's good graces," said Musashi.

"Me neither," added Kojiro. He had just finished his food when he began to look around curiously. "So, what are we supposed to do after this?"

"Oh, this and that," Yamato replied from behind Kojiro. She and Kosaburo had come back. "Once you guys are done eating, I guess we can show you around."

"You're being awfully nice," said Musashi.

"In places like these, sometimes it's best to stick to familiarity," answered Yamato. "So don't take it like we're friends or anything."

"Believe me, I won't," growled Musashi.

"So is that a 'Yes'?" asked Kosaburo. He looked at Kojiro.

"That would be nice," replied Kojiro but he looked at Musashi who shrugged.

"I guess it can't hurt," Musashi said.

"What about you Nyasu?" asked Yamato to Nyasu.

"Nah, I'll find my own way around, thank you." Nyasu answered. "You humans go ahead."

"You sure, Nyasu?" asked Kojiro, unsure about leaving their Pokemon friend alone.

"Yea, yea," Nyasu answered. "I'm fine, go ahead."


	3. Chapter 3

Both Team Rocket pairs were sitting in the recreation room. It consisted of pool tables, ping pong tables, couches, high-top counters with bar stools, TVs, computers, everything needed to unwind and relax. Musashi and Yamato sat on one end of the room, atop the bar stools and rested their elbows on the countertop. Drinks were available behind them but were non-alcoholic until a certain time. Kojiro and Kosaburo were sitting opposite the room on one of the couches.

"So," began Yamato, stirring the straw lazily around in her lemonade glass. "How is everything with you two? Catch that Pikachu yet?"

"Hmph," said Musashi. "That'll be a miracle in itself if that ever happens." She rested her cheek on her palm. "How about you, have you and Kosaburo completed any special missions?"

"No," replied Yamato. "Not lately. That's why we've been here for awhile. Trying to see what we can do for the boss. Little things here and there until we land something big"

"Oh wait," Musashi interrupted. "Change of subject, but how did all of our things wind up in our rooms? They were just like our rooms at that Team Rocket tower we had. Well, at least until Togepi destroyed everything."

"Some of our Team Rocketeers went over there looking for that Togepi and recovered some of your things a while ago," Yamato replied. "For some reason, Sakaki took pity on you two and had your things sent here. Apparently Sakaki sees something in you guys. Otherwise, he would have kicked you out, am I right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Musashi said, sipping from her tea. "I guess Kojiro and I don't do too bad."

"If not you can always request a new partner," Yamato replied.

Musashi choked on her tea. "You ca-can?!" she asked incredulously. A red haired Team Rocket man approached Musashi, winking at her and replied, "Yea, if you and your partner aren't working out, you can request a new one and boom! Next day, new partner."

"That sounds a little extreme," Musashi mused.

"How about it, Babe? Want to partner with me?" the man asked.

"Take a hike, Shigure," Yamato warned. "Musashi already has a partner." The mention of Kojiro had Musashi looking over the crowd of the room for him. She suddenly felt alone without him nearby.

"Musashi sure is popular with the guys," Kojiro muttered, glaring towards her across the room. He could feel the heat rising in his face as he watched the men practically throwing themselves at her.

Kosaburo turned his gaze from Kojiro's view to Kojiro himself. "She's like the new toy around here," he began but then caught Kojiro's expression. "Ah, as in like school, ya know? Everyone always wants to play with the new toy. Then, it get's boring and on to the new thing!" Kojiro breathed out a sigh. Kosaburo shook his head and began again. "No offense, but Musashi is a good looking girl, Kojiro. Don't you agree?"

"Well, yeah," Kojiro admitted, blushing in embarrassment. "She's beautiful, but I never really had anyone else looking at her the way those guys do."

"Doesn't feel great, does it?" Kosaburo asked.

"Well, do you like Yamato being oogled by other guys?" Kojiro asked.

"Yamato?" Butch cried. "I don't care for her. She can't even get my name right half the time. We just work well together." Kosaburo paused to see Musashi catching Kojiro looking at her. She smiled at him and Kojiro averted his gaze quickly. Kosaburo smiled knowingly.

"Unlike you. Why haven't you told her?"

Kojiro could feel his ears getting red. "Told her what?" he asked nervously.

"Don't play stupid Kojiro. Why haven't you told her your feelings?" Kosaburo said.

"I don't-you don't-oh I don't know!" cried Kojiro. "I don't think she feels the same for me. I mean, I know she cares about me but not the way I do for her. I'd do anything for Musashi, just to see her smile..." he began to drift off and gaze at Musashi again. "Just to touch her, talk to her. I love being around her. I can't stand the thought of being without her. I mean all those times we almost went our separate ways, it was unbearable..." Kojiro sighed. "And I didn't even have the courage to tell her then. How could I now?" Kojiro looked back at Kosaburo and blushed in embarrassment. "Don't tell Yamato, please."

"Well, if you don't do it soon," Kosaburo started. "Someone else may move in," He nodded towards Musashi at the bar as more men had sat around both her and Yamato.

"You mentioned us Team Rocket members able to request new partners?" asked Kojiro nervously.

"Yea," Kosaburo answered. "What if she decides to request a new one?"

"She wouldn't" Kojiro said, sounding less confident than he intended. "We've been partners forever..."

"You've got some competition, Kojiro" Kosaburo warned, still looking at the entourage around Musashi and Yamato. "Don't feel too bad Kojiro. I've heard some of the ladies have noticed your pretty green eyes." Kosaburo batted his eyelashes playfully at Kojiro. Kojiro chuckled and lowered his head to the floor, deep in thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Musashi rolled onto her back on her bed. It's been a long day and she still couldn't sleep. Her mind wandered to Kojiro and Nyasu. She felt that she hadn't really seen them too much today. _This place is amazing, but it's so overwhelming_. She felt so small in a place like this. She remembered the giggling girls in the cafeteria and Yamato's words about reassignments. What if Kojiro grew tired of her attitude and requested a new partner? One of those new girls that would treat him better. Would he leave her like the rest of her partners in the past?

Just then, there was a ring of a phone in her room. She jumped up, startled and followed the ringing to a red phone on a small table by the window. She quickly picked up the receiver.

"Sakaki would like to see you in his office ASAP"

"Uh, okay." Musashi managed to utter. _Uh Oh, Was this bad?_ The phone clicked on the other end and she put down her receiver. She walked out the door and into the hallway. As she got close to the intersection of the hallway to the elevator, she saw two figures walking towards her. It was Kojiro and Nyasu. Overwhelmed by her uneasiness of the call and the fact that she felt so apart from them today caused her to break into a run. She threw herself at Kojiro and Nyasu, who returned her embrace.

"Musashi?" Kojiro asked with a concerned look on his face. "What's gotten into ya?" asked Nyasu.

"I'm sorry," Musashi sniffed, pulling away slightly. "Did you guys get the call too?" They nodded.

"I'm just so nervous that it's going to be something bad!"

"Don't worry," Kojiro soothed, grabbing her shoulder. "I'm sure its nothing bad."

"Kojiro is right, Musashi. It might just be our first assignment!" Nyasu assured.

Kojiro could feel the tension in Musashi's shoulder relax. She looked at them and smiled. "You're right. Thanks you guys." They walked together to the elevators and made their way to the boss's office.

After being buzzed inside, Musashi, Kojiro and Nyasu sat at the large, red chairs in front of their boss's huge desk. The trio began to look around anxiously as the quietness of the room began to get to them. After what seemed like an eternity, a voice behind the tall black leather chair in front of them spoke.

"Musashi, Kojiro and Nyasu."

"Sir!" they acknowledged in unison, snapping erect in their chairs. Their boss finally turned around in his chair to face them.

"You three have been part of Team Rocket for quite some time, haven't you?" Sakaki asked.

"Y-yes sir," Musashi and Kojiro answered.

"Yet throughout this time, you three have failed to show me any promising results," Sakaki stated.

Kojiro, Musashi and Nyasu looked at each other and gulped. Neither one of them knew what to say to that. "Still," Sakaki continued. "I have gone over the records of your performances both past and present. And I have to say I find it less beneficial to get rid of you just yet, especially you Musashi. You have always shown such promise." Musashi nervously smiled at Sakaki.

"So," he continued, reaching for a manilla folder on the corner of his desk. He placed it in front of the trio and opened it. "This may be a chance to redeem yourselves and prove to me that my judgment is not wrong.

"I have a facility in this location of the woods just North of here," Sakaki stated, pointing to a location on a map. "At this facility, I have a device that controls a surveillance system of the Pokemon in the region. I have been searching for...something." He paused to take a package out of one of the drawers of his desk. He placed it next to the open folder in front of Musashi, Kojiro and Nyasu. "The surveillance system needs a new update on software. I'm asking you 3 to go to this location, install the new software, and make sure things are still up and running smoothly," Sakaki paused to see the team's reactions. "Can I count on you three to get this done without messing up?"

"Yes sir!" they agreed obediently.

"Good," Sakaki said. "I expect a full report in 3 days time. Don't let me down." He turned his chair back around. Musashi, Kojiro, and Nyasu stood up. Nyasu took the package and Musashi took the folder. They left quietly and waited until the door slid shut behind them to their boss's office.

"Looks like we got our chance to redeem ourselves after all," Nyasu said to his teammates.

"How soon should we leave to do this?" Kojiro asked.

"I think the sooner the better," Musashi answered. "What time is it?"

"A few minutes past 5," answered Kojiro, rolling up his sleeve to read his watch. "If we leave now, we should be able to make it by nightfall to the facility."

"If not sooner," said Musashi reading the map. "Let's pack whatever is necessary for this mission and meet back downstairs in a few minutes."

"Right," Kojiro and Nyasu agreed. They headed up the elevator and to their rooms to pack. Once they packed the absolute necessities, they found one another at the lobby downstairs. Then they headed on their way to the facility in the north woods.


	5. Chapter 5

They arrived an hour later at what seemed like a large cabin, with a bit more tech accessories. Musashi found the code for the front door in their packet and punched it into the keypad next to the front door. It opened up and they walked inside to find a large living room with a cozy fireplace, open kitchen, and a stairway leading off to a bathroom and 2 bedrooms.

"I call dibs on the first bedroom!" Nyasu called, racing upstairs.

"Ugh, whatever room you choose Kojiro is staying with you too!" Musashi called.

"Wait, how come I have to stay with Nyasu?" Kojiro asked.

"Because you two are boys." Musashi said, waving her hand dismissively at him.

"Oh," pouted Kojiro, wanting to stay with Musashi. But he realized it wouldn't makes sense to let a small Pokemon like Nyasu have a room all to himself. It never made much of a difference anyway, they always slept together in their different sleeping bags. Disappointed, he went upstairs to unpack his things. Nyasu was already done taking his stuff out and was already heading out the door.

"Done already?" asked Kojiro.

"Yeah, its not like I need to pack as much as you humans," Nyasu retorted. "I'm just a simple Pokemon." Kojiro snorted at this comment.

"See you downstairs, Koji." Nyasu said. "I'm gonna go take a look at dat machine."

Kojiro took his time putting things away. As a neat freak, he liked to keep his things in order so he could find them easily. Plus, he was in no rush. Nyasu was usually the brains when it came down to machinery, And Musashi was more of the take charge type. So, he figured he would just go and lend a hand wherever he was needed. He placed his last black shirt in one of the drawers and headed to the door and downstairs.

He found Nyasu shutting the door to one of the panels of the large machine downstairs. Musashi was buried in one of the manuals to the machine and kept looking at one of the monitors. She had her jacket off with just her black tank on. Kojiro smiled. He liked seeing her like that. It was a shame that her Team Rocket jacket covered most of her skin. She had the most beautiful ivory skin. He loved it when she had to wear disguises and wore more form flattering outfits.

"Okay," Nyasu piped up. "The system should be almost done rebooting itself, Musashi. Keep an eye on dat dere monitor and make sure dere aren't any problems with the cameras."

"Right," Musashi said, focused on the screen. She hadn't even noticed Kojiro had entered the room. He began to step towards her to see what he could do. His first step squeaked on the wooden floor, bringing Musashi to lift her eyes from the monitor to find Kojiro's gaze. Her expression turned to alarm.

"Kojiro, watch out for those cords-" but it was too late. Kojiro's foot got caught in one of the cords leading from the machine to one of the power outlets. He cried out in alarm and fell to the floor. The power flickered for a moment and then all went black. Only the dim light from the evening came in from the windows.

"Ooh," growled Musashi. "Now we have to start the process all over again!"

"Yeah," Nyasu added. "Way to go blunder brain!"

"Sorry," Kojiro muttered, a bit stung. "I didn't know. What can I do?" A flashlight turned on and he could see Musashi holding it, scowling at him.

"You've done enough for now," she snapped, throwing the flashlight at him. He caught it. "Why don't you go check the fuse box outside and make sure the power comes back on for everything."

Kojiro opened his mouth to say something but stopped. He just gave her a hurt look and lowered his head. "Ok"

"Honestly that Kojiro," he heard Musashi say before he left outside the front door to find the fuse box. "Sometimes I wonder what he's good for."

Kojiro frowned and walked along the outside of the cabin, locating the fusebox. He held the flashlight in his mouth as he struggled to open the latch to the door. When it snapped open, it sliced Kojiro's finger. "Ouch!" he recoiled, putting his finger in his mouth, trading it for the flashlight. After a moment, he put the flashlight back in his mouth, shining the light into the box and began flicking at the fuse breakers. The power instantly came back on in the cabin. He heard Nyasu and Musashi's squeals of joy from inside. He shook his head, taking the flashlight out of his mouth. If he wasn't so hurt, he would have smiled at the sound of Musashi's joyful squeal.

As he walked back in he shivered, realizing how cold it had become. He went towards the fireplace and began a nice blaze. He flopped down on the couch nearest it, which happened to be next to his teammates. They were just finishing up the task. No one spoke for a while.

"Welp," Nyasu began. "Looks good. We'll double check on it in the morning to see if it's OK,"

"As long as Kojiro doesn't trip over any more wires," Musashi giggled.

Kojiro growled and sat up on the couch. "Am I that much of an inconvenience to you?!" Kojiro asked. Musashi recoiled at his tone.

"Relax Kojiro, I was just teasing," Musashi snapped back.

"Well," Kojiro said, standing up. "If that's all I'm here for, your amusement, maybe you should opt for another partner more useful than me!" Kojiro stormed outside, slamming the door, causing Nyasu and Musashi to wince. They looked at each other in confusion.

"Where did dat come from?" asked Nyasu. Musashi shrugged.

"I don't know but I better go get him," Musashi sighed. "Before he gets eaten by a Ringuma or something."


	6. Chapter 6

Musashi stepped out the front door and found Kojiro leaning against the porch post, arms crossed, looking out towards the woods. She approached quietly from behind. Whether Kojiro could hear her coming or not, he made no indication. She stood to the side of him and noticed his finger was bleeding. She reached for his hand. "Kojiro, you're hurt," she said softly. He angrily jerked away from her touch.

"Kojiro!" she shouted.

"Don't!" Kojiro warned. He took a few steps away from her. "Don't act like that hasn't crossed your mind since we've been here!"

"What hasn't crossed my mind?" asked Musashi. She thought for a moment on Kojiro's outburst. "That I want a new partner?"

"Yes!" said Kojiro. "I've seen those guys around you lately. You probably want one of them as your partner don't you?!"

"No," said Musashi quietly. She hadn't realized Kojiro had noticed the other guys.

"Yeah, right," Kojiro scoffed, still refusing to look at Musashi so she couldn't see the hurt in his eyes.

"Kojiro," she pleaded quietly, closing her eyes in exasperation. He turned to look at her. When she opened her eyes, she glanced down at his injured finger once more. "Here," Musashi said while taking his hand gently. She pulled out a tissue and some paper tape she kept in her pocket for the trip. She began to wrap his finger with such care that Kojiro watched her warmly.

"After all these years, you think I would just want to replace you like that?" she asked quietly, fiddling with his bandage. "Do you think I'm such a heartless person?" Kojiro was taken aback when she finally looked up at him, revealing her blue eyes misty with forming tears.

"Kojiro, I had so much trouble with partners in the past, you know that. But with you, its different. I've never trusted someone as much as you. I've never...cared for someone as much as you." She noticed Kojiro had a slight blush on his face. "You're more than just my partner, Kojiro," she continued. "You're-you're my best friend."

Kojiro smiled at her. He stepped closer to her and noticed she never put her jacket back on, and her gloves were off. She was shivering too. Whether it was from the cold, or from the emotion of their conversation he didn't know. All he knew was that he had to have Musashi in his arms right now. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. Instinctively, Musashi wrapped her arms around Kojiro's back. She rested her cheek against his warm chest, feeling his heart beating a nice rhythm.

"You're my best friend, too Musashi," Kojiro confessed. He closed his eyes to enjoy their embrace for a moment. Then, he slightly pulled away, not fully letting go and looked at her. Her blue eyes shined beautifully at him. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. He heard Kosaburo's voice echoing in his head about telling Musashi how he felt. Kojiro gulped. It was now or never, he thought.

"In fact, you're more than my best friend," he began to confess, blushing in his cheeks. Musashi looked up at Kojiro in surprise. "I've felt like this since we first met. I just never had the courage to tell you. I didn't want you to reject me. But now, after realizing that you care for me, I just have to tell you. You're everything to me Musashi. I don't know what my life would be like without you. All those times we've almost went our separate ways, I was crushed inside knowing that I may never see you again. And now, after seeing these other Team Rocket guys trying to be with you, I realized that I want to be the only partner you ever have. Whether in Team Rocket, in life..."

Musashi began to blush deeply, speechless. All she could do was continue to watch Kojiro as he confessed his feelings. She began to panic and tried to pull away.

"In fact," Kojiro continued, tightening his hold on her. "There were so many times that we held each other just like this." He began to lean in towards Musashi, his hot breath on her lips. "I wanted to kiss you too." he kissed her cheek. "I love you Musashi." He pressed his lips to hers and closed his eyes. Musashi froze in shock as Kojiro continued to kiss her. She couldn't believe this was happening so quickly.

Embarrassed by the sudden amount of affection from Kojiro, Musashi shoved him away. He stared at her, surprised but hurt.

"Kojiro, I-uh," Musashi stammered. "I can't do this right now."

Kojiro smiled weakly at her. "It's OK. I understand," he began to walk towards the front door. "I just thought-" he paused at the door, his heart breaking more by the moment. In fear of crying in front of Musashi, he opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind him.

Musashi could just stare at the door in shock. After a moment, she realized her body began to shiver now that Kojiro was no longer holding her. Hesitating in fear that he was waiting inside for her, she finally walked to the door and opened it.

She immediately saw Nyasu still working on the machine. He watched her pass by and noticed she didn't look any better than Kojiro did when he walked in. Nonchalantly he asked, "You guys make up?"

"Yes," Musashi answered quietly. Then her eyes turned to Nyasu, "and no." She looked upstairs towards his room. "Is he..."

"Yeah," commented Nyasu. "He looked pretty bad. I-uh I tink I'm gonna sleep down here by the fire tonight."

Musashi nodded. She began to walk upstairs. "Goodnight," she said to Nyasu.

As she walked upstairs, they squeaked gently with her steps. In Kojiro's room, he lay curled up in a ball facing away from the door. Hot tears slowly rolled down his cheeks as his memories of Musashi and him flew through his mind like a black and white movie. He tensed when he heard the squeaks in the stairs. He didn't want Musashi to see him like this. In fact, he wondered if he wanted to even see her at all. Part of him wanted her to burst in his room in tears, regretting her whole decision and begging for him to kiss her again. Kojiro stiffened and quietly waited for Musashi to come upstairs.

But she never entered Kojiro's room. She went straight into hers. She lied down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She recalled every moment that played down between her and Kojiro downstairs. She blushed and then squinted her eyes shut, trying to block the memory out. But she couldn't stop her thoughts from recalling every close moment her and Kojiro had since they first met. Every hug, every time he held her hand, looked straight into her eyes...

Musashi smiled and began crying herself. Had she fallen in love with Kojiro all along and not known it? Whenever he was in trouble, she did whatever she could to make sure he was safely back in her arms. And he did the same for her. She spent most of her life trying to find that prince to sweep her off her feet and forget her hurtful past. Could it be that the prince she was waiting for was Kojiro all along?

Then, she frowned. Every time Kojiro got too close to her or seemed to cross that emotional wall she put up, she always pushed him away. She hit him, insulted him, did anything just to convince him that she didn't care. Or maybe it was herself that she was trying to convince. Her thoughts began to trail off until she quietly drifted to sleep.

Next door, Kojiro sat up in his bed. He was not able to sleep at all. Being so heartbroken, the only thing he could even think about was Musashi and his shame. He packed his things quietly back in his bag and quietly opened his door. He paused at Musashi's door, tempted to try and talk to her again but stopped his hand from knocking on the door. Instead, he turned towards the stairs and quietly slipped down them. He found Nyasu in front of a diminishing fire. Its orange glow still illuminated the room enough for him to see where he was going. He smiled at his old friend and quietly sneaked past him and out the front door into the cold night.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Musashi woke up feeling refreshed. She sat up and stretched. Yawning, she got up and got her things ready to go to the bathroom. She opened her door to find Kojiro's door still closed. She walked over to the bathroom and began to brush her teeth atop the sink. While looking at the mirror, she began to think about last night's events. Was it all a dream? Or did Kojiro really just confess his love for her and kiss her? Musashi blushed. It wasn't a dream, she thought and smiled. In fact, when he wakes up and comes downstairs, she is going to tell him how she feels about him.

Musashi nearly bounded out of the bathroom and downstairs. She found Nyasu double checking on the machine again. "Good morning!" she sang at Nyasu, "Is the machine still good?"

"As good as gold," Nyasu commented. He looked up nervously at Musashi, who began to look around.

"Where's Kojiro? He hasn't come downstairs yet, has he?"

"Uh Musashi?" began Nyasu nervously. She turned to look at him. "Kojiro, ah," Nyasu continued. "He's not coming downstairs."

"He's not?" asked Musashi confused. "Why? Is he OK?"

"I'm not sure," Nyasu said. "He's not in his room...and all his things are gone."

"What?!" cried Musashi. She ran upstairs immediately and burst open Kojiro's door. Nyasu was right. No Kojiro, none of Kojiro's belongings. Empty. "Kojiro," Musashi whispered, looking around the room sadly. She ran downstairs and looked at Nyasu, who braced himself for an impending scream. Instead she just looked at Nyasu sadly.

"Come on," she said to him. "Let's finish up here and head back down to headquarters." Nyasu looked up at her sadly and didn't say anything. He just grabbed his stuff, along with the boss's folder. Then, they began their long quiet walk back to headquarters. The walk was a bit awkward. Neither of them spoke of Kojiro even though they both knew he was on both of their minds. "Do you think," Musashi said finally breaking the silence. "Do you think he's back at headquarters?"

"I think so," Nyasu answered hopefully. "Where else would he be?" Musashi didn't answer. Instead, she nodded quietly and continued to walk.

They finally arrived at headquarters and stopped in the main lobby. Nyasu looked up at Musashi. "Why don't you let me deal with the boss so you can go upstairs and rest?" he suggested. Musashi smiled at him for being so understanding. "Thanks Nyasu. I'll see you later then."

Nyasu began to walk down the hall towards the boss's wing. Musashi, on the other hand, began to walk towards the elevator that took her back to her dormitory. Once she arrived, she dumped out her belongings on her bed and sat down on the edge of it. She slumped down and rested her face in her palms. Part of her wanted to go check on Kojiro but she was sure that she would see him when he was ready.

After a moment of reassuring herself that things were going to be OK, she began to put her things away and decided to take a shower. When she came out, it was almost time for lunch down in the cafeteria. Her stomach was growling from not eating anything for dinner last night or breakfast this morning. She hurried up and got dressed, not wanting to miss lunch. She practically jogged down the hallway towards the elevators. Once it landed on the ground floor, she rushed off down the hallway leading to the cafeteria.

"Hey, Musashi!" she heard a familiar voice call her. Behind her was Kosaburo, running to catch up. She slowed to a stop and waited for him to catch up.

"Kosaburo, Hi," Musashi greeted. Thinking maybe he's seen Kojiro, Musashi immediately asked, "Have you seen Kojiro?"

"That's," Kosaburo huffed to catch his breath. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Musashi patiently waited for Kosaburo to catch his breath.

"It's not good," Kosaburo finally said.

"What?" Musashi exclaimed. "What's not good? What's wrong with Kojiro?!"

"He came in this morning at breakfast in this weird mood. I've never seen him like that before," Kosaburo explained. "When I went over to talk to him, asking about yous guys, he said that he put in a request to change partners."

Musashi's face practically went white. "He...did?" she asked weakly.

"Yeah, and the next reassignment ceremony is today!" Kosaburo cried. "I think it's after lunch. I don't know what happened between you guys, but I thought it was best to give you a heads up. I have Yamato looking for you too."

"Thanks Kosaburo," Musashi said. "I have to go find Kojiro."

"Ok," Kosaburo replied. "I'm not sure if he told you, Musashi," he said, rather awkwardly. "But he's nuts about you. Don't tell him I told you."

"That's OK," answered Musashi smiling. "That's what I need to talk to him about. Thanks again Kosaburo! You might just have saved our partnership!"

Musashi took off as fast as she could towards the cafeteria. "I hope I'm not too late," Musashi huffed under her breath. "Of course the new reassignment ceremony would be today of all days!"

She burst into the cafeteria and skidded to a halt. She looked around fervently for Kojiro. Finally, she spotted him towards the back of the cafeteria by himself. Musashi smiled and began walking towards him.

Almost as if by sixth sense, Kojiro looked up when he noticed Musashi was near. At first, he gazed at her with a pained expression. Then, he looked away from her and propped his chin up with one of his hands. Even as she was right in front of him, he refused to look at or acknowledge her.

"Hey," Musashi finally began. Kojiro looked at her but refused to move his face from its position on his hand.

"Hey," he called back coolly.

"So," Musashi said, crossing her arms. "What's this I hear about you requesting a new partner?"

Kojiro moved his head to look at her in shock. But instead of asking her how she knew, he just looked away and said in a nonchalant tone, "That's right. I requested to be partnered with someone else."

"Oh," replied Musashi, "I see. So, you can go and get a new partner when just yesterday you gave me a hard time, accusing me of wanting to get a new one myself?"

"That's right," Kojiro said, feigning indifference. He refused to look at her.

Musashi boiled with fury. She took a calming breath and looked at Kojiro again. Her anger turned into hurt. "Why?" she asked. "Why would you do that to me, knowing I wouldn't trade you for anyone else in the world?" Kojiro continued to look away. He closed his eyes, not wanting them to get misty in front of her.

"Answer me!" Musashi commanded.

"Because it's what's best!" shouted Kojiro, finally turning to look at her. "It's what's best for you, Musashi," he said, smiling weakly at her. "You deserve someone that you can fall in love with, someone who's going to bring out your best and not goof up, like me. You need someone who's going to set your heart aflame and love you the way you want to be loved."

Musashi looked sadly at him. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Kojiro asked

"What about what you deserve?" she asked. Kojiro chuckled.

"All I know is I want what's best for you. I want to see you happy, above all else. I'll worry about myself after. You deserve that one person who gives you everything you want."

"I want you," Musashi said softly. Kojiro looked at her in surprise.

"Musashi," he mumbled after a moment. "You don't mean th-"

"I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you, Kojiro," Musashi cried. She clasped her hands in front of her chest. "But don't you see? YOU are the one who gives me all those things. You're the one who has been there all along beside me, looking out for me, loving me! And I've been so stubborn and so blind that I couldn't see you for what you were truly worth to me, how you made me feel!"

She began walking towards Kojiro. He began to blush seeing that Musashi was blushing also and getting so close to him. "You see?" she asked, smiling. "I have the same effect on you as you do to me. We've been the best of friends for so long and we've always been together. That's how I always want us to be! But not just in Team Rocket." She blushed deeper and leaned in over the table so that her face was inches from his. Kojiro began to turn scarlet. "even if there was no Team Rocket," she breathed.

She reached out and gently cupped the side of Kojiro's face. She gazed lovingly into his eyes. "You really do have the most beautiful green eyes." she teased, moving in and brushing her lips against his. "I love you," she said softly to him and placed her lips firmly on his.

Kojiro stared wide eyed at Musashi, who's blush had gone as deep as his. He closed his eyes and began to kiss her back. But before he could reach up to pull her in closer, she broke the kiss. She smiled and teasingly walked off, pausing at the cafeteria door. Kojiro watched her and got up as if in a trance. Before he could follow after, he remembered:

"The reassigning!" he cried and ran off towards one of the rocket members at one of the offices nearby. "My name is Kojiro, I want to call off my reassigning!" The man behind the window backed up from Kojiro's outburst.

"Kojiro, huh?" he asked, checking his clipboard. "Ok, I'll take you off. You sure?"

Kojiro turned to see Musashi walking out the cafeteria door. "Yes," he said, turning to look back at the man. "I'm sure!" And he ran off after Musashi.


	8. Chapter 8

He ran down the hall leading to the elevators. He was just about to call for her when he heard the elevator labeled R8 open. He quickly ran inside but didn't see her. Suddenly, he was spun around to face her. She grabbed his shirt from the front. Pulling him towards her, she kissed him passionately on the lips.

Kojiro instantly reached out and grabbed her hips, pulling her so that she was pressed against his body. He began to kiss her hard in return. "Musashi," he moaned, trying to catch his breath in between the kisses. "I love you too." It felt as if all his repressed feelings for her were just surging out of him at once, ten-fold. He finally had the opportunity to have her all to himself, and there was no way he was going to pass it. It felt good taking charge with her, too. Musashi usually took the lead in everything. But this time, taking the initiative felt good.

The elevator door opened. Musashi cried out in surprise as Kojiro lifted her bridal style into his arms. He carried her while walking to his room, kissing and nipping at her lips gently.

Once inside Kojiro's room, he lowered her to the bed and immediately climbed on top of her. He began kissing her passionately, as Musashi reached up to caress his hair. He turned his head towards one of her palms and kissed it. Then, he began to kiss her gently on the cheek, trailing kisses over her face and down to her neck. "Kojiro," Musashi moaned in pleasure as he began to nibble at her neck. Hearing her moan and feeling her legs on either side of him began to arouse him. Musashi gasped when she felt his hardness pressing against her.

Kojiro groaned in anticipation. Suddenly, he stopped kissing her. He grabbed her legs that had wrapped around him and spun her so that she was now on top of him, sitting on his lap. For a few moments, they could only breathe heavily and gaze at each other. Finally, he reached up and kissed Musashi on the forehead. "One step at a time, Musashi," he murmured. "I don't want to move too fast and ruin everything."

"Such a gentlemen," Musashi purred and nuzzled his nose with hers. "Another reason why I love you."

Kojiro sighed with pleasure. "I've waited so long to hear those words from you. Say them again so that I know I am not dreaming."

Musashi giggled softly at her sentimental partner. "I love you, Kojiro," she said, gazing into his love-filled green eyes. He smiled and hugged her tightly to him, breathing in her aroma which he loved so much.

"Oh Musashi," he breathed. "I love you too. So, so much."

They continued to hold each other contently for a moment until Musashi's stomach began to growl loudly. Kojiro looked at her in surprise.

"When's the last time you've eaten?" he asked her.

"I don't even remember," Musashi said looking at her stomach. Kojiro lifted Musashi off him and placed her on the floor.

"You need to eat," he warned.

"But," Musashi pouted. But Kojiro took her by the hand and began to lead her outside. "No buts. I'm not going to be responsible for your starvation."

Musashi smiled and let Kojiro lead her out the door of his room. She gazed at him happily as he pulled her along the hallway. It was amusing that he took charge all of a sudden. Actually, what surprised her even more was that she was allowing him to call the shots, too. She liked this new Kojiro. He has been developing nicely the past few months. His training has molded him into more of a leader than ever before. It was only a matter of time before he started coming up with the plans for their team. She figured she would let him have his time in the spotlight for a while. It was actually very attractive, seeing him so confident.

They came to a screeching halt when they both saw Nyasu in front of them.

"Gah!" cried Kojiro as he looked down at his and Musashi's hands still clasped together. Musashi looked at Kojiro and they both nodded, tearing their hands apart. Nyasu smiled smugly at them.

"Heh, it's about time, you twos finally got together," Nyasu chuckled.

"W-what are you talking about Nyasu?!" cried Kojiro, trying hard to hide his blushing face.

"It's OK," Nyasu said. "You guys swear as if it was some big secret. I knew yous two were always in love. I'm just surprised it took dis long for the both of ya to admit it to each udder."

Both Musashi and Kojiro looked at each other sheepishly.

"Anyways," Nyasu continued. "I was trying to tell you-"

"Ah, walk and talk," Kojiro interrupted, pushing Musashi forward to walk towards the elevator. "Musashi really needs to eat."

"Ok ok," Nyasu said, running to catch up to them. They entered the elevator and pushed the button for the ground floor. "So I reported everyting back to Sakaki."

"Oh that's right!" Kojiro exclaimed. "How did everything go?"

"Well," Nyasu continued. "He was really happy on how everyting went wid us. He said to expect our new mission real soon and to keep up the good work!"

"EEE!" squealed Musashi, bouncing up and down. "I can't believe we did such a great job! We're going to be promoted for sure."

"YOU guys did such a good job." Kojiro muttered sadly. "I did nothing to help."

"Oh Kojiro," sighed Musashi. "There are plenty of times you've done things to get us out of sticky situations." She kissed him sweetly on the cheek. Then, they both looked down sheepishly at Nyasu.

"Meh, don't mind me," Nyasu assured. "I guess it's just something that I hafta get used to."

The elevator opened and they rushed over to the cafeteria so that Musashi could finally grab something to eat. Once they got to the cafeteria, Kojiro headed to the line too. "Aren't you going to save us a seat?" asked Musashi.

Kojiro smiled and put his hand behind his neck. "Well," he confessed. "I would but I forgot that I haven't eaten either."

"You haven't?" Musashi asked. "Why not?" Kojiro blushed and looked down guiltily. Musashi understood right away. He must have been so upset about the previous night like she was and forgot to eat. "Come on," she said, smiling at her sweet Kojiro. "Let's go eat."


	9. Chapter 9

After eating, they both made their way to the media room to find Yamato and Kosaburo. They both wanted to thank them for trying to help them out. This time, Musashi found Yamato on the couch and Kojiro spotted Kosaburo by the bar. Musashi went to go sit with Yamato but found herself being held back. She looked and saw that Kojiro was holding her hand still. She looked at him curiously and he gave her a playful pout, not wanting to let her go. He pulled her back so she spun into his arms. Giving her a warm embrace he kissed her quickly on the cheek. "Ko-Kojiro!" she protested at his public display of affection. She managed to push him away. Kojiro feigned a hurt look before he smiled playfully and trotted off to the bar.

Musashi smiled shyly and walked over to sit with Yamato.

"I see you two worked things out," Yamato teased.

Musashi sat down next to her and rested her hands on her knees. "Yeah," she breathed out. "And you know what? I've never seen him like this. He's so affectionate-I mean he's always been affectionate but not like this before." Musashi blushed while saying this.

Yamato listened to her, intrigued. "Really? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Good," admitted Musashi quietly. "Very good."

Kojiro leaned against the bar where Kosaburo was resting a glass of some concoction. "Hey!" Kosaburo exclaimed in surprise. "How did things go, lover boy?"

"Good," Kojiro said. "Better than ever, actually"

Kosaburo smiled, knowing what Kojiro meant. He looked over Kojiro to see Musashi sitting with Yamato and talking animatedly about something. "Thanks, by the way," Kojiro said. Kosaburo looked at Kojiro in surprise.

"For what?"

"I knew you were the one who warned Musashi about the stupid decision I was going to make." Kojiro explained. "Well, you or Yamato. Anyway, thanks. If it weren't for you, I probably would be crying me eyes out, regretting the worst decision in my life."

"Kojiro?"

Kojiro looked over to a girl who was standing by Kosaburo. She had sky blue hair with matching eyes. She shrank in shyness when he locked eyes with her. "My-my name is Michiko. I heard you were looking for a new partner."

"What?" Kojiro asked confused. "I called that off. I still have my partner."

"Oh," the girl said, feeling embarrassed. "My friends overheard your decision and told me that you were looking..."

"Look," Kojiro said, holding up his hands. "I'm sorry, but I'm not-" he stopped when he saw Musashi passing him to get to the bar. She affectionately reached out and gripped his arm. With her other arm, she began to circle her finger around the front of his chest. Kojiro gulped nervously at Musashi's sudden display of affection.

Musashi looked over at Michiko to see if she got her point across. She quickly got the hint and scampered off in the other direction. Kojiro looked at Musashi to see her gorgeous blue eyes gazing at him. He was instantly grounded back to reality as butterflies began to form in his stomach. "Wha-what are you doing?" he asked her.

"Going to go get a drink," she said, gently pushing off him. "Yamato wants to show me more around the facility."

"Have fun," he said as he tried to reach for her again. She batted his hands away playfully and scuttled to the bar. She blew him a kiss and Kojiro smiled wide.

Kosaburo was just watching him curiously. Kojiro noticed Kosaburo's gaze and composed himself. "What?" he asked defensively.

"Nothing," Kosaburo said. "Just noticed you've got it bad for her."

Kojiro shrugged. "I don't know why," he admitted. "But I just can't keep my hands off her all of a sudden. Maybe it was all those years of repressed feelings I've had."

"Uh huh," teased Kosaburo. "So did you two go all the way yet?"

Kojiro stiffened and turned crimson. "A gentleman does not kiss and tell," he said coolly.

"Yeah yeah," Kosaburo said. "When you're ready to spill the juicy details, just make sure and come find me first."

Kojiro was about to reply when a bottlecap rolled across the countertop towards him. Kojiro picked it up instinctively to inspect it when he heard a voice shout.

"Hey, that's mine! Put that down!"

Kojiro looked for the voice and found a short, yellow haired team rocket boy, no older than 15.

"That's my bottle cap, you have there!" he said, pointing to Kojiro's closed fist. Kojiro looked at his hand and released the bottlecap, distracted by the boy's outburst. The boy clasped it in his hands and examined it.

"Bah," he grumbled. "I already have like 3 of these. You can keep it."

Kojiro and Kosaburo glanced at each other, then Kojiro turned back to the boy. "You collect bottle caps, too?"

"Yeah," replied the boy. "The name is Kyo."

"Kojiro," Kojiro said, extending his hand for a shake. The boy took it and shook his hand. "I have been collecting since I was a little boy. Did you know that they're actually worth money?"

"No way!" exclaimed Kojiro. "I always thought they were just there for personal collection."

"They are but they also have value!" explained Kyo.

Kosaburo watched the conversation bouncing between the two in boredom. He yawned loudly. "Weeell, now that you two nerds found each other, I think I'm going to find someone manly to play pool with." He got up and clapped Kojiro on the back. "Later lover-boy" Kosaburo looked at Kyo. "Kyo".

Kojiro looked back at Kyo and tried to recall the last thing said. "Do you think you can take a look at my collection and see if it's worth anything?" he asked Kyo.

"Yea sure," he agreed.

"Awesome!" said Kojiro. "It's up in my room in some display cases. Follow me!"


	10. Chapter 10

Kojiro led Kyo upstairs to his room. Once inside, Kyo marveled at Kojiro's collections.

"Wow!" he exclaimed. "For not collecting as much as me, I'm surprised at how many rare ones you have!"

"Really?" Kojiro asked. "How much do you think my collection is worth?"

"Well," said Kyo, picking up one of the display cases to examine it. "These caps alone are worth at least a few thousand. Your collection can be worth a couple grand."

"Whoa," Kojiro said, sitting down to catch his breath.

"Yeah" Kyo mused. "You should check mine out sometime, Kojiro. Oh, but make sure you let me know ahead of time. I don't have my cap collection here at headquarters. I have mine at my old place in Unova."

Kojiro nodded, still coming to terms the value of his collection. Never did he realize they would be worth that much.

Kyo smiled and headed for the door. "Well," Kyo said. "I'm starting to get hungry and its going to be dinner soon. I'll catch ya later, Kojiro. Thanks for sharing your collection with me." He walked out and closed the door behind him.

Kojiro sat for a moment, collecting his thoughts. Then, he stood up to get ready to take a shower. As he went towards the closet to get another outfit, he spotted something shiny in one of his dresser drawers. He walked over to it and found a mirror finish picture frame. Picking it up, he smiled warmly at it. In the picture was him and Musashi hugging tightly and smiling big for the camera.

Kojiro's head began to fill with thoughts of Musashi. He sighed and placed the frame on top his dresser. He stared at it and suddenly felt the strongest urge to hold her again. He wanted to feel her warm body against his own. He longed to feel her soft lips against his. What he wanted most of all, was to see her blushing for him. She looked so cute when she was shy. And that look was for him alone, he smiled.

He broke from his thoughts and finally went into the shower. After finishing and changing into a clean uniform, he wandered to the chair by his window. As he sat down to look at the picture again, he barely caught the TV mounted on the wall nearest his closet. He was shocked at the fact that he never noticed the TV in the first place. He got up and walked towards it. He found the remote was mounted by a clip underneath the TV. He grabbed it and turned it on. He began flipping through the channels, trying to find something to watch,

He sat on the edge of his bed, watching program after program. His mind began to wonder about Musashi again. "Ugh," growled Kojiro. "This TV is no use, I need to talk to someone." He turned it off and headed to the door. He walked towards the elevators and down to the cafeteria. He had just arrived in time for dinner. He sat down at a table and hoped to catch Musashi walking in so they could eat together.

About 10 minutes into the dinner session, there still was no sign of Musashi. He spotted Kosaburo and waved him over. Kosaburo walked over and sat in front of Kojiro with his tray full of food.

"Hey, aren't you going to eat?" Kosaburo asked Kojiro.

"Huh?" Kojiro looked down at his empty tray. "Oh yeah, I was waiting for Musashi."

"Yamato hasn't returned either," he told Kojiro. "I wouldn't worry about them. You know those two girls are tough as nails."

Kojiro eyed him uneasily. "Yeah, I guess."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Kosaburo chuckled. "Did they get captured by Team Rocket?" He noticed Kojiro's mood lightened. "Hey Kojiro, seriously. Get some food before dinner is over."

Kojiro sighed and got up to choose something to eat for dinner. He sat back down and began to eat. However, he kept his eyes open for Musashi. He nearly jumped out of his seat when he saw a flash of magenta hair. However, he frowned when he realized it was a girl with wavy hair and brown eyes. She approached Kojiro and Kosaburo with a stack of fliers. She handed them each a flyer.

"What's this?" asked Kojiro.

"Our annual company dinner and dance is next week," the girl explained. "Hope to see you there," she smiled, winking at him. Kosaburo shook his head.

"Man, I don't know how you get all the ladies' attention," said Kosaburo.

"Yeah, all but one lady," Kojiro grumbled. He scanned the flyer. "Have you been to one of these?"

Kosaburo looked at the flyer as well. "Never. I've only been here just a few months before you and Musashi."

The mention of her name made Kojiro look down miserably and began playing with his food. Kosaburo sighed and stood up, getting ready to throw his trash away. "Well, I'm going to head to the media room and get a few rounds of pool in. You coming?"

Kojiro shook his head. "No, I'm going to wait a bit longer."

Kosaburo shook his head sympathetically. "Okay, you know where to find me."

He walked off leaving Kojiro by himself once again. Kojiro waited until the cafeteria team began to clean up around him. He sighed and stood up. He threw his trash away and began to walk towards the media room. Once close by, he slowed down when he saw one of the doors in the hallway open. He heard voices from inside the room, along with some lights. He wandered in and his jaw almost hit the ground.

There was an indoor pool! _This place really does have it all_! thought Kojiro. He walked and spotted a Tiki bar towards the rear. There were chairs, tables, and lounges all around. There were a few members in the water swimming. But majority of the small crowd was by the bar. His heart fluttered when he caught a glance of magenta hair and this time, he knew it was Musashi. She was near Yamato with a drink in her hand.

"Musashi?" he asked as he got close enough behind her. He crossed his arms in annoyance.

"Kojiro?" she asked, turning around to face him. She stared at him as his face showed displeasure. "What's wrong?"

A sudden urge of possessiveness came over him. He wanted her all to himself. He knew it was selfish, but only a few hours ago, Musashi and he had just shared their first kiss with each other. Then, she disappears for hours and he missed her terribly, wanting nothing more but to be near her again.

He took her by the arm and led her away from the group. "Hey," she protested. Once out of everyone's earshot, Kojiro let her go.

"I've been waiting for you. What's taking you so long?" he demanded.

"I told you," she replied defensively. "Yamato showed me the facility. This was our last stop and I was going to go back to my room!"

"You're drunk?" he accused, taking her hand gently in an attempt to have physical contact with her again.

She snatched her hand away from him angrily. "I've had a few drinks."

"You missed dinner!" he cried.

"I ate! They serve food here and in the media room as well for your information!" she looked at her partner with confusion.

"What's gotten into you, Kojiro? I finally admit I love you and you start acting so weird!"

Kojiro felt guilty and looked away from her, forming a pout. Musashi put her drink down on one of the tables and signaled to Yamato that she was OK. Looking over at Kojiro's adorable pout, she understood why he was acting so odd. She honestly couldn't blame him. Throughout the tour that she was taking with Yamato, she couldn't help but want to turn back and find Kojiro. After their kiss session, she wanted more of him. She never experienced this side of him and it was exciting. She walked over to Kojiro and nudged him. "I missed you too."

Kojiro looked at Musashi and saw that she wasn't just teasing him. Happily, he wrapped his arms around Musashi. "Not as much as I missed you," he nuzzled. As he held her against him, he began to softly kiss her neck, taking in the Musashi scent he knew and loved. Musashi moaned quietly and blushed at Kojiro.

"You're right," he murmured to her. He pressed his forehead against hers. "I have the same effect on you as you do to me." He took her hand and tugged gently for her to go with him, smiling sweetly at her.

They strolled out and back to their rooms. They stopped in front of Musashi's room. She walked to the door but before she could open it, he pinned her to it with his body. He held her arms above her head with one hand gripping her hands. Musashi gazed into Kojiro's burning eyes. They blazed with lust. With his free hand, he pulled her thigh up to his hip. Then, he planted a firm kiss on her lips. Musashi squirmed as she felt her need for him growing inside her. He smiled and let go of her hands. With both arms wrapped around her waist, he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.

"I don't know what's gotten into you Kojiro," she breathed after breaking from the kiss for a moment. "But I like it."

Musashi fumbled with the doorknob behind her and managed to open the door behind them. Kojiro let her go so she could wander inside. She sha-shayed over to the bed and motioned for him to come in. Kojiro stared nervously at the bed and then Musashi. Quickly composing himself, he smiled and shook his head. "This is where I leave you, my queen." he said. She scowled in frustration but walked back up to Kojiro who leaned seductively against her door frame.

"Such a gentleman," she teased as she reached up to kiss him, hoping to change his mind. Kojiro grabbed both her wrists and held them gently behind his neck. He kissed her gently on the lips and gave her a peck on the nose. She giggled, as did James. "Goodnight, dear," he whispered.

"So soon?" she asked playfully. "I thought you wanted to spend more time with me?"

"It's been a long day for both of us. A lot has happened. We should get some rest." Kojiro replied. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight," she whispered back and backed up to close the door. She waved at him as the door closed shut. She walked away and silently wished he would burst open the door and tackle her to the bed. As she walked towards the bed, she smiled. Maybe not, she thought. As much as she loved this new, romantic Kojiro, it was his sweet, gentle side that she had fallen in love with in the first place. She swooned as she thought about the way that he kissed her. It was a combination of the two. He was passionate, yet gentle on her at the same time.

She went to get ready for bed and eventually lied down. She drifted off to sleep dreaming sweet memories of her and Kojiro.

Kojiro, on the other hand, was still lying awake in his bed. He recounted the day's events and how he reacted to both scenarios where he and Musashi had gotten very physical. He grimaced in regret but recalled the last time he was involved with any woman romantically. A flash of Rumika came into his mind and Kojiro nearly screamed out of fright.

He was just a little boy but she scarred him emotionally for a long time. It wasn't until he met Musashi that he felt loving a woman can actually be OK. Sure, she had her issues as well, but that's what made her and Kojiro such a great match. They didn't need to have a "normal" relationship, because "their normal" was just perfect.

He wondered if Musashi would want more out of their relationship. He smiled, thinking about her as domestic. She could be a little bossy and short tempered, but she was nothing compared to Rumika's insanity. Maybe marrying Musashi wouldn't be so bad after all. They already do almost everything together.

Kojiro rolled over and looked towards his bottle cap displays, and then the photo of he and Musashi together. Then, he let his mind ponder over the possibilities as he, too, drifted off to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

When the morning came, Musashi stretched and got ready for breakfast. Once her morning routine was done, she opened her door to walk down the hall but stopped at her doorway. There were rose petals on the floor along with a small note. On the note read: See You at Breakfast, XO Kojiro.

Musashi smiled and picked up the rose petals scattered at her feet. She placed them on top of her bed and began to head down to the elevators again. He's probably already down there waiting for me, thought Musashi.

As Musashi walked into the already crowded cafeteria, she eagerly looked for Kojiro but he was nowhere to be found. She paused at a table and nearly jumped when she felt someone touch her arm gently. She turned with excitement only to find Hatori standing next to Makaze. "Musashi!" cried Hatori. "I haven't seen you for a while! How have you been?"

"Good," replied Musashi. "How about you?"

"Can't complain," Hatori said. "Are you enjoying your stay here? Have you done any missions yet for the boss?"

"Oh, yes. We just completed our first mission not to long ago" she eagerly stated.

"We?" Makaze asked, confused. "You have a partner already?"

"Already?" Musashi asked, confused. "I've always had one-" She stopped when she felt a familiar grip wrap across the front of her body, gripping her shoulders. Another arm snaked across her middle and gripped the side of her waist. She smelled the fresh scent that could only be Kojiro. She blushed deeply when Kojiro pressed his nose to Musashi's hair and inhaled.

"Hmmmm," he hummed and kissed her on the cheek. Then, he turned to face Hatori and Makaze, resting his head on Musashi's shoulder. His green eyes flashed dangerously.

"Mine," he said, while smiling at them. Musashi looked apologetically at Hatori and Makaze for Kojiro's possessive behavior.

"Your partner, I presume?" Hatori said, rather than asked.

"Kojiro," Musashi said more to him than to Hatori as Kojiro's hold on her remained. He continued to watch the other two Team Rocket men who both began to walk away.

"See you around Kojiro," Makaze called back to him while he walked off with Hatori. Kojiro merely widened his smile before turning his attention to Musashi. He adjusted his hold so that she was now facing him. He kissed her gently. "Good morning, my lady."

"Morning?!" she said incredulously, pushing him away so that people would stop staring at them. "What was that about?"

"What was what about?" Kojiro asked playfully. He took her hand and began to lead her to the table that already had Kosaburo and Yamato sitting down. Kosaburo and Kojiro had already gone to fill their trays. Yamato stood up, having waited for Musashi to get breakfast.

"Come on," she said impatiently. "You're late." She grabbed Musashi and walked off to get their food. Kojiro sat down across from Kosaburo so that he could keep an eye on Musashi. She turned to give him a dirty look as if to say: This is not over. Kojiro merely chuckled and winked at her. Then he looked at Kosaburo, who was watching him with a half amused look on his face.

"I saw what you did," Kosaburo said to Kojiro. Kojiro merely smiled back at him. "Can't keep your hands off her, huh?"

"It's not just that," Kojiro explained. "It's just-I've never felt like this before. Now that I have her, I don't ever want to lose her. I want to scream to the world that I love Musashi and she's mine!"

"Want to hang a giant sign on her?" joked Kosaburo. "Maybe," said Kojiro thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "I might have an idea, though."

"Like what?" asked Kosaburo. Kojiro wiggled the fingers of his free hand at him. "A ring?!" he exclaimed but Kojiro shushed him.

"You're kidding!" Kosaburo cried. "You just became official the other day!"

"I know," said Kojiro said shrugging. "But it's not like I just met her, either. I've known Musashi for most of my life. It just feels right."

"So you're just not marrying her so that she can wear a ring, branding her yours?" Kosaburo asked skeptically.

Kojiro smiled. "That too," he confessed. "But I've waited so long to make her mine. As much as marriage scares me, I'm sure with Musashi, it won't be that bad...as long as I have her."

Just then Suki approached the table that Kojiro and Kosaburo were sitting at.

"Kojiro?" she asked. Kojiro recognized her and smiled.

"Oh, Hi Suki!" he exclaimed. "What's up?"

"Sakaki wants to talk to your team about your next mission."

"Oh," Kojiro said. "Right, we'll be right there." Suki walked off and Kojiro looked around to find Musashi. He began to think quickly as she approached the table.

"Musashi!" he exclaimed as she was about to sit down. "Sakaki needs to see me about my next assignment!"

"Wait," Musashi paused. "Alone?"

"Yes," Kojiro replied hastily. "It should be really quick so I'll be back as soon as I'm done."

"Oh," Musashi said, still puzzled at the fact that she and Nyasu were not involved. They were a team after all... "Ok then," she said sadly.

"See you in a bit," he said and gave her a chaste kiss to the lips. He ran off to meet up with Suki in the hall.

Musashi watched him run off and noticed he stopped next to Suki. She frowned for a second and then turned back to the people at the table. Kosaburo had the same puzzled expression as Musashi but he refused to say anything this time.

"That's odd, Kojiro getting a mission to himself. You and I never did a solo mission, right Kosanji?" Yamato asked, turning to Kosaburo.

Kosaburo sighed, "It's Kosaburo. And not that I can recall." Musashi sighed as well. The conversation wasn't helping her any better. "I don't get it," she said. "Last mission, Nyasu and I did most of work. Why is he getting the next big mission?" Then she realized something. "What if he's being sent away on punishment?!"

"Relax," Kosaburo said to Musashi. "I doubt the boss would go through all that trouble to see Kojiro in person just to fire him."

"Yea," Musashi breathed out a sigh of relief. "I guess you're right."

Kojiro and Suki walked together along the hallway towards the boss's office. "So why aren't your partners coming with you?" Suki asked, looking back towards the cafeteria.

"To be honest," Kojiro admitted. "I plan on doing more than just the mission when I'm sent out." He smiled at Suki. "It's for Musashi, but it's a secret." His slight blush made Suki giggle.

"Wow" Suki mused. "You're such a romantic guy. I wish mine was like that!"

"I didn't know you were seeing someone, too!" Kojiro exclaimed. "I never see you with your partner!"

"Well," Suki said, blushing. "I'm not exactly a field agent like you. I work primarily here, so I dont get an assigned partner. He's not from the Team Rocket organization." She crossed her arms in front of her uncomfortably. "In fact, we've been having some issues of our own."

"That's too bad," Kojiro said sympathetically. "I'm sure things will work out for the best." He looked up nostalgically. "Musashi and I would have our arguments, but deep down, we realized we were all we had." He smiled and shrugged. "Well, Nysasu too!"

They arrived at Sakaki's door. "Well," Suki said quickly. "Good luck with everything." She extended her hand and Kojiro took it, shaking it.

"Thanks Suki. You too," Kojiro said.

He walked in and closed the door behind him.


	12. Chapter 12

Kojiro walked around the facility, trying to find Musashi. He had missed breakfast and thankfully, grabbed a bite to eat over in the media room where he thought that he would have found Musashi. He paused at the pool entrance. He smiled knowingly. As he walked in, he spotted Musashi sitting on the far side of the pool on one of the lounge chairs. She wore a dark blue bikini and sunglasses.

Having assumed that she would possibly be here, he wore his swimming shorts underneath. He quietly slipped off his uniform pants and sneaked up behind Musashi. She didn't notice him so Kojiro took the moment to run and plunge in the water in front of her. The water rose from his impact and splashed Musashi, causing her to spring to a seated position, her sunglasses hung lopsided off her nose.

She looked at the pool and spotted Kojiro. He surfaced as he shook his wet hair somewhat dry, flashing a mischievous smile at Musashi.

"Kojiro, that was not funny!" she scolded and tried to readjust her position back to a comfortable one. Kojiro looked around at the other members who were eying him. He was surprised he didn't notice them before. All he saw was Musashi. He admired her for a moment. He's seen her in swimsuits before and he made sure she didn't notice him watching her. But this time it was different. He could stare at her all he wanted and wasn't ashamed. She was so beautiful, and all his.

He hoisted himself up and grabbed a towel from the nearby Tiki bar. He began drying off his hair and stood alongside the chair next to Musashi. "Is this seat taken, Mademoiselle?" he asked playfully. She huffed at him and turned to the opposite direction.

"Ah, my queen is angry," Kojiro stated, sitting himself on the lounge chair next to Musashi. He looked at her, concerned. "Musashi is this about earlier?"

She groaned.

"Aw come on Musashi," he whined. "It wasn't like I ASKED the boss to exclude you and Nyasu! I wanted you guys to come with me!"

Musashi stayed quiet, continuing to look in the other direction.

"Don't you want to hear what my next mission?" he asked, once more trying to catch her attention. She merely shrugged so Kojiro got up and stood by Musashi in her chair. He then picked her up, causing her to yelp and he laid himself down placing Musashi on top of him. His hands held her hips firmly as she sat on his lap, straddling him. "Kojiro!" she hissed. "Everyone is looking!"

"No one is looking," Kojiro denied, not even caring. "Let them look anyway." Musashi flushed and struggled against his hold. "Just listen to me, Musashi." he pleaded. "The boss is sending me to the nearest city to make sure one of his underground casinos is running up to standards."

Musashi paused and looked at him. "It's going to be for a few days," he warned. She frowned, giving up on her own anger. She then layed down on top of him, her head on his chest. "How many days?" she asked sadly.

"Not sure," Kojiro answered honestly. "More than one, that's all I know."

Musashi sighed and looked up at him as he began to stroke her hair. "I can't go?"

Kojiro looked firmly at her. "No, the boss insisted I do this alone." Before she could protest, he said,"I can't argue with him, you know that. But you know more than anybody how much I want you with me always."

She sat up on him again as Kojiro held her hips. "I guess I just have no choice but to wait for you until you get back," she shrugged. Kojiro sighed in relief as she leaned down to kiss him. He groaned in approval and pushed his hips instinctively upward to gain more contact with Musashi. She sat back up and looked at him amused. He groaned and closed his eyes tight, trying to control himself.

He made the motion to get up and Musashi slipped off him quickly as he got to his feet. "Why do you do that?" she asked, half amused, half disappointed.

"Do what?" Kojiro asked, pretending he didn't know what Musashi was talking about.

"Hold back," Musashi replied. "Don't tell me it's the gentlemen in you."

"Musashi," Kojiro admonished. "You and I both know I am no gentleman." He walked up to her and picked her up in his arms, carrying her towards the pool. Musashi cried out and tried to escape as Kojiro got closer to the pool. He stopped when he got right to the edge and Musashi stopped squirming as well. He stared deep into her sapphire eyes. He smiled lovingly at her and placed her back on her feet. She stared at him as he planted a kiss on her forehead. "Maybe just for you, I am," he murmured, inhaling her sweet scent.

Before she could react, he backflipped into the pool. Musashi laughed as some of the water's splash got on her. She jumped in immediately afterward and the two began to swim around, enjoying each other's company. They got out towards dinnertime, dried themselves off and went to go eat together at the cafeteria.


	13. Chapter 13

Nightfall came too quickly for the pair and Musashi nor Kojiro were ready to let each other go, yet. They sat on the couch in the media room, nuzzling each other until Kojiro stood up. "Meet me in my room," he whispered to her as he walked towards the exit.

Musashi smiled knowingly as he left the room. Yamato happened to be nearby at the bar. She walked over to Musashi.

"Enjoying your last night together before he leaves?" Yamato asked.

Musashi smiled. "Yeah, it's not very comforting knowing we're going to be apart for the next few days."

"Have you two actually...?" Yamato paused a moment to let Musashi catch her drift.

Musashi blushed. "Well, no." she admitted. "It's weird. Normally, with Kojiro and I, I've always been more "take charge". For some reason, when it comes to us having a romantic relationship, Kojiro all of a sudden became the dominant and I can't help but let myself follow his lead." She continued to blush shyly. "I know he'll come around when he wants. I just have to wait."

Yamato smiled back at her. "Where is Kojiro anyway?" she asked.

"Guess I'm going to have to find that out, right now," she smirked and got up. "Goodnight," she said to Yamato, who waved back at her.

She wandered to the elevators and took R8 up to her room. She wasn't sure what to expect with Kojiro and she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. So, she just took off her team jacket and skirt, leaving on her black undershirt and slipped on some cotton shorts. She slipped on some soft ballet slippers and walked out of her room.

She nervously walked to Kojiro's room. She held her hand in front of his door and took a deep breath. Then, she knocked. Kojiro opened the door for her and she walked in, noticing he still had his Team Rocket uniform on. She silently sighed in relief. She didn't know what to expect from Kojiro. However, the lights were dim inside and Musashi noticed two glasses of wine atop the table by the window.

He held a chair out for her to sit down and he joined her at the chair in front of her.

"What's the occasion?" she asked Kojiro sweetly.

"Just enjoying a romantic night together before leaving you tomorrow." Kojiro replied.

Musashi smiled. "So, wine and then what?" she asked suggestively.

Kojiro blushed shyly. "I don't know. I was hoping we could talk."

"Alright," Musashi smiled, sipping on her wine. They both quietly watched each other as they sipped their wine and enjoyed the full moon outside Kojiro's window. Once they were done, Kojiro collected both their glasses and set them aside. He sat down towards the middle of his bed and patted the spot in front of him for Musashi. She stood up and paused for a moment. She picked up the picture frame that was atop his dresser and smiled at the photo of Kojiro and her.

Then, she wandered towards Kojiro's bed and sat down in front of him. Kojiro pulled her into his lap so that her legs were resting on either side of him. His arms wrapped around her waist and her arms wrapped around his neck. "Tell me something," he said to Musashi, who continued to gaze into his shimmering green eyes.

"Why do you love me?" he asked.

Musashi looked at him skeptically before answering. "You're seriously asking me this question?"

Kojiro nodded.

"Well," she began apprehensively. "You're this amazing person who's always stood by me even when I didn't deserve you. And I've come to realize that I like myself a lot more when you're a part of my life." She blinked, wondering if that was the wine talking or if she was actually revealing her feelings for him so easily.

Kojiro leaned in to kiss her before she said any more. He didn't need to hear any more. It was enough evidence to reassure himself that he really wanted to marry Musashi. She was worth selling his entire bottle cap collection and infinitely more.

Musashi's hands reached up to grasp Kojiro's hair and she tugged gently, deepening her kiss. Suddenly, Kojiro had the strongest desire to feel her skin on his. He shrugged off his jacket, revealing his black undershirt. Musashi began to stroke his chest and Kojiro stopped her. "Wait," he breathed and took off his gloves. "I want to be able to touch you." Once the gloves were thrown off, Kojiro once again grabbed ahold of Musashi's hips and pulled her closer to him so that she straddled him once more while he lied on the bed.

Musashi continued to kiss his face gently and stroke his hair. Kojiro moved his hands from her hips and began to slide them under Musashi's shirt, smoothing them over her back. His breathing began to hitch as she felt her lips graze his and down to his neck. She, too, began to slide her hands under his shirt and lifted it up so she could just make out his thin, but fit stomach and chest. Kojiro reached up and placed his palms on the back of her head, pulling her face to his so he could greedily take her mouth.

Musashi could feel Kojiro's arousal pressing against her groin and she began to rhythmically grind her hips on his. Kojiro moaned and began to reach under her shirt to grip her breasts gently. Suddenly, his eyes shot open and he let go of her. He sat up, trying to catch his breath as he scooted away from her.

"What's wrong?" asked Musashi, peering deep into his eyes. Kojiro matched her gaze and then looked away shaking his head.

"Nothing," he murmured. "I just don't feel like tonight's a good night."

Musashi, hiding her hurt, smiled at Kojiro and crawled back towards him. She placed a hand on his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat. "It's OK," she whispered and kissed him softly on the forehead. Kojiro looked guiltily at her and reminded himself to control his actions. He didn't want to make love to her for the first time and then leave for the next few days. That wouldn't be fair to her.

Kojiro lied back down on his back and took Musashi in his arms. They lied in silence for a few moments as Kojiro stroked Musashi's hair and she stroked his chest. Inhaling his sweet aroma and feeling his touch put her at ease as she found herself drifting to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

Musashi awoke to daybreak's first light slipping through her window. She stretched and realized that Kojiro was not in bed. She looked around and realized that she was in her own bed. She sat up immediately and looked around, hoping to find Kojiro somewhere else in the room. She rubbed her eyes, wondering what time it was. She found the clock and once her eyes cleared, she realized it was already 8 in the morning. She quickly put on one of her uniforms and ran downstairs.

"Oh please," she quietly pleaded. "I hope he didn't leave yet. I didn't even say Goodbye!" Tears began to form in her eyes when she spotted Suki at the front desk. "Suki!" she cried out. Suki, who was typing away at her computer, looked up at Musashi running towards her.

"Suki!" Musashi cried again. "Have you seen Kojiro? Tell me he hasn't left yet!"

"It's OK," Suki replied. "He's outside towards the back, getting ready to go."

Without even thanking her, Musashi ran out the front door and towards the rear of the building. Kojiro was settling their old Nyasu hot air balloon. He was tying down some ropes. She ran towards him until he looked up at her. They both continued to look at each other, Musashi panting until finally she spoke up.

"You weren't even going to say Goodbye?" she squeaked.

"Musashi," Kojiro murmured. "I thought that it would be best. That's why we had last night."

Musashi looked down and crossed her arms. Kojiro stepped closer to her. "I knew this was going to be hard on you, but mostly for me." He tilted her chin up to look at him. "I don't want to leave you."

Musashi lunged at him, wrapping her arms around him. Kojiro blushed and began stroking her hair affectionately. "Remember, I'll be back soon. It's only for a few days."

Musashi then looked up at Kojiro's stunning displays of green. He too, had tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "Kojiro!" she cried and kissed him. Kojiro wrapped his arms around her tightly. Desperate for more contact and affection, Musashi slipped her tongue into Kojiro's mouth as she began to take off his jacket frantically.

"Musa-" Kojiro struggled between Musashi's advance on his mouth and held her at arm's length. "Stop!"

Musashi gave Kojiro a stung expression so he lowered his forehead to hers. "You're such a temptress," he purred.

At this, Musashi began to sob, tears pouring down her face. Kojiro, in shock, pulled her closer to him again and rested his chin atop her head.

"W-Why won't you make love to me?" stammered Musashi. Kojiro widened his eyes in surprise but then lowered his head so that he could look seductively at Musashi. "What, right here?" he joked.

"N-no" Musashi cried, trying to steady her breathing, "In general these past f-few days."

Kojiro closed his eyes to collect himself before looking back at Musashi's blue quivering ones. "Musashi, I just don't feel ready at this moment. This is my first time having a physical relationship with anyone. You have no idea how hard it is to control myself, especially with you. I've always wanted you, more than anything else in the world." He nuzzled her nose. "Can you wait just a bit longer until I get back? I need to take care of a few things first."

Musashi nodded and calmed down her breathing. "OK," she agreed quietly. Kojiro smiled and pressed his forehead to hers. "I'll miss you, partner," he said.

"I'll miss you too," she whispered and kissed his lips quickly before walking back to the building. Kojiro watched her sadly as her hand slid out of his. "I'm sorry," he cried as he turned to climb aboard the Nyasu air balloon.

As he set his direction in aim of the nearby city, he looked down hoping to glimpse Musashi down there waving at him. But she was already inside. Kojiro sighed and hung his head, leaning over the wall of the balloon basket. "Please wait for me," he whispered, while wiping a tear from his eye.


	15. Chapter 15

Musashi disappeared through the double doors, past a stunned Suki and towards the elevators. She ran to her room once reaching her floor. Then, she flung herself to her bed and sobbed. After what seemed like hours, she found herself drifting off to sleep once more.

She awoke to a knock on her door. She opened her eyes and searched for the clock. Her eyes were still too blurry to tell.

She managed to lift herself up and walk towards her door. Once she opened it she looked around, puzzled at the lack of anyone there. Then, she looked down in surprise.

"Oh, Nyasu!" she exclaimed.

"Musashi!," cried Nyasu. "What are you doing up here, I haven't seen you in hours!" Musashi began sobbing again and stooped down to gather Nyasu in her arms. She hugged him tightly.

"Musashi, you're soaking my fur," he said rather uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry," sniffed Musashi. "It's just that I'm such a wreck right now." She placed Nyasu back on the ground.

"Yeah, I can see dat," Nyasu joked as he hopped on Musashi's bed. "So why are you so upset?"

Musashi went to join Nyasu on the bed. She grabbed a few pillows and hugged them to herself for comfort. "Did you know about Kojiro?" she asked Nyasu.

"Kojiro?" Nyasu asked surprised, although he already knew the only reason why Musashi could be so upset is because of him. "What about him?"

"He's out doing a solo mission," Musashi stated.

"Without us? The noive of him!" Nyasu snarled.

"He said the boss asked him specifically to take the mission." Musashi added.

"Dat sounds a little fishy," Nyasu pondered aloud. He looked at Musashi. She really did look like a mess. He smiled sympathetically. "Why don't you freshen up Musashi and we'll go down for dinner."

Musashi sniffed. "I'm not really hungry Nyasu."

"Musashi," Nyasu continued. "You need to eat somethin'. Starving yourself is only going to make things worse."

"Besides," he added softly. "I need to ask aound a few questions."

Musashi watched him, confused. "Um, OK Nyasu," she agreed. "I'll go hop in the shower really quick and get changed."

"Atta goil Musashi!" Nyasu exclaimed. "I'll wait right here for you." He curled up on Nyasu's soft bed and took a short nap while Musashi freshened up. Then, together, they headed downstairs. Nyasu left Musashi at the cafeteria when he knew she was OK with Yamato. He, on the other hand, had some snooping to do.

Nyasu headed to the media room and saw Kosaburo, playing pool with a few other Team Rocket guys.

"Hey Kosanji!" Nyasu shouted.

"Kosaburo!" he cried in exasperation! "My name is Kosaburo!" Then he looked down in surprise at Nyasu. "Hey, aren't you Musashi and Kojiro's Nyasu?"

"The one and only," replied Nyasu. "I needs to talk to ya."

Kosaburo looked at his pool table players. "I'm in the middle of a game, you know."

"It's important," replied Nyasu. "I have to ask you something really quick."

Kosaburo sighed and walked away from the table. He sat down on one of the nearby bar stools and Nyasu bounded up onto one next to him.

"What's new pussy cat?" Kosaburo joked. Nysasu was not amused. "No, but seriously," he coughed. "What's up?"

"What do you know about Kojiro's solo mission?" Nyasu asked.

"Nothing," Kosaburo shrugged. "He didn't tell me anything about it. He left me at the cafeteria and I haven't seen him since."

Nyasu glared at him, then jumped off the stool. "I better not catch ya lying to me," he warned. He began to walk away when Kosaburo called after him.

"Why don't you ask that Suki chick? She's the boss's assistant."

"Where can I find her?" asked Nyasu.

"She's the pink haired chick," replied Kosaburo. "By the front entrance, behind the desk. She's the one that told Kojiro about the mission in the first place."

Nyasu bounded off towards the front entrance. He found Suki sorting through some paperwork and was just about to shut down her computer when Nyasu jumped onto her desk. She screamed but then relaxed when she saw that it was just a Nyasu.

"Aren't you that talking Nyasu I met a while ago?" she asked.

"Yes," Nyasu answered. "I'm partners with Musashi and Kojiro."

"Right!" exclaimed Suki sweetly. "What can I do for you?"

"I need information," Nyasu replied. "What do you know about Kojiro's solo mission?"

"Now you know that the boss wouldn't tell that information to me. He just told me to send for Kojiro and that's it," she replied defensively.

"I don't get it," Nyasu wondered aloud. "Why would the boss send Kojiro on a mission alone..."

"Oh he wasn't supposed to go alone," interjected Suki. Nyasu snapped his head at her immediately.

"He wasn't?!" Nyasu asked.

"No," Suki replied. "As a matter of fact, the boss told me to get you, Musashi AND Kojiro. But when I went to go get him, he came after me alone and went into Sakaki's office alone too."

"Thanks!" Nyasu said to Suki. "I knew the boss wouldn't send him on a solo mission voluntarily.

"That's right!" Suki cried, remembering when she last saw Kojiro. "He mentioned something about Musashi."

"What did he say?" Nyasu asked.

"I can't remember specifically what," she said sadly. "But he mentioned something about Musashi when referring to his mission."

"Thanks again," Nyasu said to her, smiling. "I have to go." He waved at her and ran down the hallway to the cafeteria.

He ran back to the cafeteria but found it empty. Therefore, Nyasu headed to the media room where he found Musashi and Yamato at the bar, enjoying a few drinks.

"Musashi!" Nyasu called. "Musashi!"

Musashi turned to see her partner Pokemon bounding up to her. "You're not gonna believe it, but Kojiro's solo mission wasn't meant to be a solo one after all!"

"What?" asked Musashi, confused.

"I just got done talking to that pink-haired assistant to the boss and she told me that the mission was originally meant for us as a TEAM to do!" Nyasu explained.

"I don't understand," Musashi murmured. "Then why did he say he had to do the mission alone?"

Yamato put her hand on the shoulder of heartbroken Musashi.

"I'm sure he had a very important reason, Musashi," Yamato tried to assure her.

"Oh, he had better," Nyasu growled, crossing his arms in front of him.


	16. Chapter 16

Kojiro looked down from his airballoon basket. He was approaching the busy city with tall business buildings and the hustle and bustle of traffic. He steadily brought the balloon down to a landing in the bushes just outside the city limits. He carefully tied down and secured the balloon to the ground. Then, he grabbed his backpack, full of bottle caps, packed in velvet lined cases. He took a deep breath and headed down the path to the city.

He took out his map and decided to take care of business first. He found the building marked by the boss and made his way over to it. As he walked through the city, he passed a brightly colored smaller shop labeled: Tony's Toys and Hobbies. Kojiro made a note to mark it on the map. He would return there later to get his bottle caps appraised.

Finally, he approached a taller business building with no windows on the first 2 floors. The remaining 3 had glass windows all around. He approached the tinted glass double doors and let himself inside. Inside, it was very dimly lit despite the flaahing lights from local gambling machines. The beeping and whirring noises from the machines filled the air. Kojiro walked on, trying to find someone from Team Rocket to talk to.

It wasn't long before he was intercepted by a man in a black suit.

"You're from Team Rocket?" asked the man, looking Kojiro up and down.

"Yes," Kojiro answered politely, even though his attire made it quite obvious. "I'm here on business for Giovanni. He wishes that I see your record books for this month. I must report it to him."

"Of course," the man said more politely. "Come this way," and he made sure Kojiro followed him around the casino until they approached an elevator. They took it to the 3rd floor and down some hallways until they reached a dead end. "Wait in here," he said while pressing a code on the keypad next to the door. "Someone will be right with you."

Kojiro walked in and entered a large conference room with a large cherry wood table and red leather chairs all around it. He sat on one and made himself comfortable. Suddenly, a blonde woman in a grey suit approached him. "Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked.

"Water please," Kojiro replied. She walked over to a smaller office that had a cooler. She grabbed a water and handed it to him. Just then, the doors opened again and a larger man in a Team Rocket outfit came in. He held a large binder in his hand, along with a small pad of paper. He placed them in front of Kojiro and gruffly remarked, "Make it quick."

Kojiro simply eyed him warily and opened the binder, flipping to the daily numbers for the past 3 months. He grabbed a pen and began scribbling notes down on the pad of paper while he perused the binder's contents. Once finished, he closed the binder, tore out his paper he had scribbled on, and stood up. "I'm finished," he told the larger man, who didn't hesitate to snatch up the binder and left the room.

"Don't mind him," the blonde woman said to Kojiro, winking. "He doesn't take kindly to strangers."

"Do you have a phone I can use?" Kojiro asked, looking around. The woman lead him to the smaller office. "Need to call the boss?" She asked him before he entered the office after her. Kojiro nodded. "OK, just press the blue button on the box and that will reach him directly. The screen will prompt you for a code to complete the call. When it does, press 4221. Got it?"

"Yes, thank you," Kojiro said while squeezing in past her ot the small office. The woman walked away to give Kojiro some privacy. He sat down at the desk and pressed the blue button on the box. The screen immediately flashed and gave him an option to type in a code. Kojiro used the dial pad to enter: 4221. He picked up the receiver and waited nervously.

The screen flashed a moment and suddenly Sakaki's face appeared on the screen, looking serious as usual. "Yes, what is it?" he asked.

"Sir" piped Kojiro. "I am reporting back to you about the casino's profit report."

"Ah, yes," Sakaki recalled. "Let's hear it then."

Kojiro read off to him the numbers he had recorded for the months. Sakaki took short notes and nodded. Once Kojiro finished, Sakaki studied the notes he made for a moment.

"Good work, Kojiro." he said. "It looks like you do make a good Team Rocket field agent by yourself."

"Thank you, sir," Kojiro replied, feeling pangs of guilt hit his stomach. The screen went blank and Kojiro hung up the phone. He walked out of the office looking at the floor glumly, thoughts of Musashi and Nyasu filled his head. He looked up to see the blonde woman watching him.

"Excuse me," he said to her. "Do you know a good jewelry shop around here? I'm trying to find a ring for someone special," he blushed slightly while opening up his map. The woman went over to look at the map.

"There's a great place with some beautiful diamond rings over here," she pointed on the map. Kojiro marked it down immediately. "Lucky girl," she winked at him and Kojiro smiled politely and began to walk out.

"Thank you!" Kojiro said as she waved and wished him good luck.

It was already mid afternoon when Kojiro made his way over to the hobby shop. He opened the bright orange door, which triggered an attached bell to jingle. He looked to his left and there was an older gentleman with a thick mustache looking at him curiously. He noted his outfit and a look of fear struck his face. "Team Rocket?" he cried. "I don't want any trouble."

"Oh no!" Kojiro cried in shock. He took off his jacket and gloves, putting them on the counter. "I'm not here for Team Rocket business," he said. "My name is Kojiro, I'm here to get my bottlecap collection appraised."

The man eyed him suspiciously. "Bottle cap collection?" he asked.

Kojiro nodded. "Are you Tony, the owner of the store?"

"At your service," Tony said.

"I collected a few bottle caps in my time and I heard they were actually worth something."

"If you have the right ones," the man replied, pulling out an eye glass to view close up objects. "Let's see what you have."

Kojiro took off his backpack and began carefully taking out the cases of bottlecaps. "I'm trying to get a ring for my wife...well, not wife yet," Kojiro stammered. "But I'm hoping."

The man smiled at Kojiro's sincerity and began looking at his bottlecaps. Kojiro watched nervously as the man looked at each one and set it aside without saying a word. Finally, the man stood up from his chair and informed Kojiro he would be right back.

Kojiro watched in puzzlement as the man disappeared and after a few moments, ran back breathless.

"Sonny, you've got yourself a nice set of bottlecaps." Tony said. "I just checked the collection we have in the back and you have ones that I have been looking for a long time!"

Kojiro's face lit up. "Really?"

"Oh yes," Tony said, gathering the separate piles of bottle caps. "So, a ring for your girl, huh?"

Kojiro nodded.

"Well," the man said. "To help you out, I'm going to take the valuable ones and the others that aren't worth much YET." He placed them in a small fabric bag.

"How about I offer you $8,000 for the whole collection?" Tony asked.

"Eight thou-wow!" cried Kojiro excitedly. "It's a deal!"

"Great," Tony exclaimed, shaking Kojiro's hand. "Let me write you a check, which you can take to the bank and you can be on your way." Tony left to grab his checkbook and securely put the bottlecaps away. When he came back, he began scribbling out a check.

Kojiro asked him about the jewelry shop that the blonde Team Rocket woman had told him about.

"Ooh yes," Tony replied. "That place is the place to go if you want to get a nice ring for the one you love." He tore off the check and handed it to Kojiro. "Pleasure doing business with you. And good luck!" Tony shook Kojiro's hand and Kojiro left the building feeling lighter than air. He bolted off to the nearest bank, cashed the check and was on his way to the jewelry store on the map.

Kojiro stopped in front of the store. He looked up at the name and smiled once he read "Tony's Jewels" on the top of the building. He walked in to find an older woman polishing the glass on the displays. "Hello," she greeted.

"Hi," Kojiro answered. "You wouldn't happen to be married to the Tony at the hobby shop would you?"

"Why yes," she answered sweetly. "I'm Mrs. Tony Santiago! How did you know?"

"I was just there," Kojiro replied, smiling. "I'm here to look for a wedding ring for my girlfriend."

"Of course you are, you sweet man!" she cried, putting her polishing supplies away. "Let me show you our supply and you let me know more or less what kind you're looking for."

The woman led him around the store and Kojiro admired the beautiful diamond rings that glistened at him from the lighted displays. They were all beautiful. But which one was just right for Musashi?

"I want something not too flashy," Kojiro said. "She wouldn't wear it. I need something that is simple, yet elegant, like her."

"I know just what to look for," the woman replied. "Do you have a preference to what cut the diamond will be?"

"Princess," Kojiro smiled. "Definitely princess."

The woman escorted him to a section with a very simple design band with beautiful princess cut stones in the center. Kojiro looked at all of them. However, one seemed to have flicked the color of blue. Kojiro blinked but it didn't do it again. He pointed at it. "That one," Kojiro said, pointing to it. It reminded him of Musashi's eyes. Sometimes, at the right moment, they flashed like that diamond did. It was perfect.

The woman boxed it up for him, Kojiro paid for it, and left once again, feeling lighter than air. He headed to his Nyasu balloon with Musashi's ring safe in his pocket and began untying the ropes that held it down. He got in, pulled the lever to raise it up. "Just one more thing before I head back," he said.


	17. Chapter 17

A few days had passed since Kojiro's departure. Musashi had actually lost track of time. She was laying down on her bed, daydreaming about Kojiro. She missed him so much that her heart literally felt the pain of him being away. She had tried to keep herself busy these past few days. She ate food in the cafeteria with Kosaburo and Yamato. She swam in the pool and enjoyed the cocktails served near it. She even enjoyed some of her time in the media room, playing a few rounds with Kosaburo at pool.

Musashi smiled. She was happy at least knowing that her, Kosaburo, and Yamato had made friends. It felt so much better than having a rivalry with them and hating them. Even Nyasu made an effort to make friends with their Ratta.

Musashi went to take a shower, got dressed in her usual Team Rocket uniform, and took a nap on the bed. She had just eaten breakfast, so sleeping with a full tummy made it a lot easier for her to relax her thoughts and drift off to sleep, dreaming of her sweet Kojiro.

Musashi awoke to her phone ringing. She groggily checked the clock to see it was 5 o clock. She had overslept! She jumped up to go answer the phone. "Hello?" she rasped into the phone.

"Musashi? were you sleeping?" Yamato's voice came through the reeiver. Musashi yawned.

"I was just taking a nap," she said defensively. "Guess who's back?" Yamato's voice teased.

Musashi woke up instantly. "Kojiro?" she whispered.

"Yes!" Yamato cried. "His balloon came in not too long ago. You better go downstairs if you want to welcome him back!"

"Thank you so much, Yamato!" Musashi cried into the phone. "I'm heading downstairs now!" Hanging up the phone, she ran to the bathroom to check her appearance. She straightened out her hair and outfit. Once satisfied, she bolted for the door. Musashi could barely contain her excitement as she impatiently waited for the elevator to take her down.

Musashi bolted towards the media room but didn't find Kojiro so she headed to the cafeteria, which was already serving dinner. She skidded to a halt when she saw Kojiro sitting with Suki at one of the tables. He had just given her a rose. Musashi's world came crashing down.

Kojiro had just arrived back from his trip. He wasn't even aware of how many days he had actually been gone. All he knew was that he was dying to see Musashi again. He landed in the back with the other Team Rocket vehicles and quickly tied down the Nysasu balloon. He locked the compartment that controlled the lever that turned on the flame. Then, he ran into the Team Rocket building. He stopped mid jog before heading down to the cafeteria or the elevators. He had to go return the key to the balloon to Sakaki.

He ran over to his office and knocked. He hadn't even noticed Suki trying to get his attention while he zipped past her desk. No one answered the door so Kojiro knocked again. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and he jumped. He turned around, expecting the boss but saw Suki.

"He's not in right now," Suki explained to him. "Did you want me to let him know you stopped by?"

Kojiro looked back at the door and thought for a moment. He turned back to Suki. "No, that's OK," Kojiro answered. "I just needed to give him the key back to the balloon." He pulled it out of his pocket to show her.

"If you want, I can put it in my desk until he returns," Suki offered. "It's safe with me, trust me."

Kojiro handed her the key and she walked to her desk, unlocked one of the drawers and dropped the key in, locking it back up. "See?" she asked.

"Thanks," Kojiro said. "Look-"

"I'm sorry Kojiro," Suki sniffed. Kojiro looked at her in alarm.

"I'm having the most awful day ever. Do you mind walking me to the cafeteria?" Suki asked in a half sob.

"Um," Kojiro said, unsure of what to tell her. He really wanted to catch Musashi but Suki had helped him out so much before. "Sure," he said and walked with her to the cafeteria. They sat down at a table and Suki began weeping softly.

"Remember that boyfriend I told you about?" she sniffed. Kojiro nodded. "Well," she continued. "He broke up with me. I wanted things to work but he said he had found someone else."

Kojiro patted her back. "I'm so sorry Suki," he said. "Really I am. But I'm sure you'll find the one that loves you just as much as you love them someday! I guarantee it!"

Suki smiled after sniffling once more. "Thanks Kojiro. I hope so too. You're so sweet." She wiped her eyes and looked down. "Being dumped always puts a hurt in your ego, you know? I keep thinking to myself all these what-ifs, like: What if I wasn't pretty enough?"

"Nonsense," Kojiro said and magically pulled out one of his handy roses. He handed it to Suki and smiled sweetly. "You're beautiful like this rose. Why don't you have it?"

Suki blushed and smiled. "Kojiro! Don't you need this rose?"

Kojiro leaned back and smiled. "I don't need those roses anymore. I already have someone that constantly reminds me I have the most rare rose of all."

"Musashi," Suki said.

"Yeah," Kojiro sighed.

"No, I mean look, there's Musashi!" Suki nudged her head to the entrance to the cafeteria. Kojiro spun around and noticed her standing there with tears in her eyes. His face fell as she bolted from the room.


	18. Chapter 18

"Musashi!" Kojiro called in alarm. He scrambled up and ran after her.

Musashi ran fast as she felt the tears pouring down her face. She didn't want to face Kojiro now. And she knew he would catch her in the elevator or in any of the other rooms so she headed for the front door. The double doors opened just in time for her to escape. She ran towards the forest. Where to, she didn't know or care.

Kojiro was close behind her, panting and calling her to stop. Musashi closed her eyes for a moment to blink away the tears when her foot caught on a raised root. She cried out as she went tumbling down the hill in front of her. Kojiro leaped and grabbed on to Musashi, pulling her close to his body and together, they tumbled down.

After rolling a few yards, they landed at the bottom with Kojiro in a seated position and Musashi in a tangled mess on his lap. They both opened their eyes and gazed at one another. Musashi glared at him and tried to climb off of him. "Let me go!" she growled but Kojiro caught hold of her and held her still.

"Musashi," he said firmly. "Musashi, calm down. It's not what you think."

"Oh no?" she asked sarcastically. "Then you tell me, Kojiro. Because when I came downstairs the moment I heard you were back, I found you with another woman and you even gave her a rose!"

"She was having a rough day, I was trying to make her feel better," Kojiro clarified. "I tried to tell her I wanted to see you but she started crying about her day after she took the key from me for the boss."

Musashi looked at Kojiro sadly. "You gave her a rose. You never gave me a rose. Do you like her?"

Kojiro tsked as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks. He grabbed her face gently and kissed her tears. "Musashi, you are my rose, don't you see? I don't need to give you one to show you how I feel. I already gave you my heart."

"My beautiful, jealous girl," he mused while gripping her chin gently. He tipped her chin so that her lips met his.

"I love you and you will always be the only one for me." he whispered once he broke the kiss. Musashi was blushing slightly. How he loved the sight of blushing Musashi. Kojiro looked deep in her eyes as the sunset reflected beautifully off of them. "What can I do to show you what I mean?" he asked. Then he remembered the box in his pocket. One of his hands let go of her waist while he fumbled through his pocket. Musashi watched him curiously.

"Want to know why I took the mission alone and for so long?" he asked her while looking for the box and pulled it out. Musashi eyed it suspiciously.

"Y-yes," she finally said. "Why did you do that knowing it was supposed to be our mission together?"

"I knew you'd find out," Kojiro chuckled. "I'll show you why." He put the box in front of her and opened it, revealing the beautiful diamond ring. Musashi gasped, tears forming in her eyes once more. She looked at Kojiro in surprise.

"Kojiro, this is-"

"I love you," Kojiro murmured to her. "Please be mine and only mine. Marry me?" He took the ring out of the box and took Musashi's left hand gently, when she was speechless. He slipped the ring on her finger gently. Perfect fit. Musashi stared at her finger for the longest time. Then she looked at Kojiro, patiently waiting for her answer.

"Yes," she whispered. She flung her arms around Kojiro's neck and hugged him. "Of course I will!" After a long embrace, Musashi leaned back on Kojiro's lap and looked at him in confusion.

"How did you afford such a ring?" she asked. "Surely not your parents-"

"I sold my bottlecap collection," he replied. He noticed her skeptic expression. "Believe it or not, they were actually worth soemthing after all."

"Kojiro," Musashi said. "You didn't have to sell your entire collection for me."

"Yes I did," Kojiro reassured her. "I wanted to, anyway. You're worth more to me than that collection anytime."

Musashi kissed him once again passionately. Kojiro began to stand up, but took Musashi in his arms to carry her up with him. Locked in a passionate kiss, Kojiro began to walk back to the Team Rocket building. Musashi took a moment to catch her breath. "Where are we going?" she asked him. His eyes flicked seductively at her, shining with lust. "To seal the deal," he replied. Musashi squealed with delight as he ran the rest of the way to the building.


	19. Chapter 19

Musashi opened her door to the room to allow them inside. Kojiro carried her to the bed and placed her on the edge gently. She sat down and pulled Kojiro to her, between her legs. They kissed passionately as Kojiro began to remove his jacket and gloves. Musashi did the same with her gloves and jacket. She began to try and remove Kojiro's black shirt and he smiled. "Eager are we, dear?"

"Just remove the shirt," she growled playfully as she gripped at it. She's always wanted to feel what Kojiro felt like under the shirt. He allowed her to lift his shirt up and over and toss it to the side. She ran her fingers softly across his smooth chest and over his abdominals. Kojiro closed his eyes and moaned into his kiss with Musashi. Her touch was what he craved so much throughout their relationship. His breathing became ragged as her feathery touch increased his arousal.

No longer able to control himself, Kojiro grabbed Musashi's hips and lifted her higher on the bed so that he could lay on top of her. Musashi wrapped her legs around his back, pulling him closer to her as he ran his fingers through her hair, kissing her soft lips. Both of their tongues met and they slowly danced around, tasting each other. They pulled apart and gazed at each others eyes, burning with passion.

"Are you sure you're ready for this part?" asked Kojiro. "Because once I start, I don't think I'll be able to stop."

Musashi nuzzled his nose. "I'm ready." she purred. "I wouldn't want you to stop either."

With that, Kojiro hitched up Musashi's skirt, giving him access to her panties. He pulled them off slowly and paused to admire her for a moment, causing Musashi to blush deeply. He leaned over her again and planted a deep, appreciative kiss on her lips. Musashi gasped when she felt Kojiro's arousal pressing against her again. But this time, Kojiro had already slipped off his pants and boxers and there were no clothes in the way.

Musashi lifted her hips willingly to meet his erection and Kojiro sucked in air, hissing, "Musashi," he moaned. He took a deep breath and slipped inside her, exhaling slowly. Musashi squirmed slightly, allowing herself to adjust to his size and breathed slowly. She closed her eyes in pleasure as he was half buried in her.

"I need to see your eyes, Musashi," he breathed. She opened them right away and signaled that she was OK. Kojiro then plunged all the way in her, causing her to yelp.

"Do you feel it, Musashi?" Kojiro asked, shakily. Musashi could only nod as she was panting.

Kojiro began to circle his hips, causing Musashi to moan loudly. "YOU are the only one that does this to me," he panted. "It's always been you. Nobody else has this effect on me. Do you understand now?"

Musashi nodded and gasped, "Yes." Kojiro wrapped his arms around Musashi, pulling her close to him as he planted his lips on hers again. He pulled out slowly and thrust back into her quickly. He continued this slow pace for a while, kissing Musashi and capturing her loud moans of pleasure as they made love.

Musashi could feel herself building to climax and so did Kojiro so he slowed down the pace. Kojiro began to peel off Musashi's black undershirt, exposing her breasts. He began to fondle them gently, taking a nipple in one mouth as his hand massaged the other. As he continued to torture her with pleasure, her moans of "Kojiro" nearly tipped him over the edge.

He began to thrust into her again, this time more forcefully and quicker as both he and Musashi cried out in pleasure. He began to feel himself building to explode. Musashi knowingly, wrapped her legs around him and pulled him deeper. That was Kojiro's unraveling. He cried out her name as he released his climax into her. At the same time, she cried out his name and overcame to hers, trembling all over as her body tensed and slowly let go.

They both stared at each other, panting as their heartbeats began to slow down. "I love you, Musashi," he said.

"I love you too, Kojiro," she replied and he collapsed on top of her. She smiled and stroked his back. For the longest time, the two lay in silence and nuzzled one another. The lay side by side, resting on their elbows and facing one another.

"So, she mused playfully. "Is that what I have to look forward to the rest of my life?"

Kojiro looked at her in alarm. "I-I guess so," he stammered.

She smiled and kissed him gently. "I can't wait," she purred.

Kojiro closed his eyes and sighed in relief. "You scared me, Musashi." He gazed at her and appreciated the fact that she was finally his and only his. "I need to tell you something," he began seriously.

"What?" she asked, fiddling with her hair, which had come undone and fallen in strands down her face.

"I did more than just bought you a ring," Kojiro said.

"What do you mean?" asked Musashi, sitting up slightly.

"Close your eyes," he commanded. Musashi did as she was told and felt something light get placed in her left hand. She waited for Kojiro. "Open them," he said. She did just that and looked at a piece of paper that was folded in her hand. She opened it up all the way and noticed that it was a property deed.

"What's this?" she asked.

"I used the rest of the money from my collection and bought us a store," Kojiro replied, proudly.

"A store?" asked Musashi, confused. "For what?"

"Whatever we want," Kojiro replied. "I was thinking a training place or salon for you contests that you do so well."

"Kojiro," she breathed. "This is great!" she kissed him on the cheek.

"I know you'll do great, Musashi," Kojiro told her.

"You know I can't do it without you," Musashi said to him. "You've helped me a lot during those contests." Musashi thought to herself for a moment. "Wait a second. How are we going to run a legitimate business and still be in Team Rocket?"

Kojiro smiled at Musashi. "As my fiance, you'll trust me and stand by my every decision, right?"

"Yes," Musashi replied nervously.

"Leave Team Rocket with me," Kojiro blurted out. "I promise I'll take care of you, Musashi. I don't want us to be living for evil anymore. I'm not evil, and I know you're not, either."

Musashi's apprehensive look turned into a bright smile.

"OK," she answered. "Let's do it!"

Kojiro nuzzled her nose with his.

"How are we going to tell Sakaki?" she asked.

"We'll find a way," Kojiro said. "We always find ways to do things, right?"

"Right," Musashi answered, gazing at Kojiro through hooded eyes. She smiled mischievously and pulled Kojiro towards her, giving him a kiss.

"I think this calls for another celebration," Kojiro purred seductively.

Musashi purred right back. "I think I've had a bad influence on you."

"I love you, Musashi," Kojiro said once again. "And I can't wait for the rest of our future together."

"I love you too, Kojiro," she replied. "As long as I'm with you, I'll always be happy."


End file.
